To live a curse
by Fall star
Summary: What if Urtho had created something, something that should never had been attempted, and now Darian and friends must deal with the results.Finished
1. A strange young man

((this is my first time writing a Mercedes lackey book, so please bare with me. Any reviews will be greatly appreciated, as it will help me to improve on my stories, it is set a couple of years after the Darian stories… I also don't own anything to do with these books, but wished I did, hail to the great Mercedes Lackey and her characters. Also please don't shout at me if I have got the back dates wrong. I am a little hazy on Valdemar time lines))

A crashing sound broke the still of the forest, sending birds flying into the air, shrieking with the indignation of being disturbed, they called to each other and then settled again when the disturbance had passed. A lone figure was running through the branches of the trees following the disturbance, behind the figure ran four or five burly men, they were chasing the disturbance. Finally in a clearing the cause of the disturbance stopped. It was a man, well a old teenager would be a better phase, the figure in the trees stopped to asses the boy on the ground. He was holding one arm close to his side cradling it with another equally damaged hand. His clothes, if you could call them that, were tattered filthy and barely decent.

They boy twirled round, looking for a way to go, but seeing only more forest he let out a soft whimper. He obviously feared the men who were chasing him. But the watcher knew that they would soon be taken care of, the traps he had placed quickly but skilfully would take them down, as if on que four loud screams broke the once again still of the forest. The watcher smiled grimly, so it had been four. He dropped down out of the tree. Now closer to the boy he could see how badly treated he had been, there was little skin showing that wasn't covered in bruises, scrapes, cuts or other hurts. When the watcher approached the boy he could feel the fear coming off him. The watcher put his shields, the last thing he needed was to swamped by the boys own emotions. The watcher gaped with surprise when the boy turned to face him. His features, his eyes. He was Tayledras he was sure. The boys reaction surprised the watcher even more, he sighed with what could have been called relief then he took a step forward and said two words. "Sanctuary please" in halting Tayledras.  
Then he collapsed in a heap on the floor. Having finally given up fighting his exhaustion.

The watcher, Darian firkin K'vala K'Valdemar, Darian to most people, He had never before had that reaction from someone he had just saved. Calling to Kuari asking him to tell Starfall's Bird and let the others know he was bringing in the injured boy. Kuari would tell the bond birds who in turn would tell there bonded person. Darian, sheathed the small dagger he had ready just in case and bent down to pick up the boy.

As he neared the boy to pick him up he felt something at his shields, he held them tight ignoring whatever it was, he wasn't going to look and see what it was yet, he had no idea who the boy was or what he could do. When he picked him up, Darian was surprise just how light the boy was, it was almost as if he wasn't carrying anyone at all. He moved carefully, so not to jar the boy anymore. He made his way back to the Vale. He wondered who this child was, looking down Darian studied the boys bruised face and judged him to be maybe fifteen, sixteen. He hoped that one of the others would know who the boy was and what he was doing in the company of those men.

When Darian reached the Vale he was greeted by Starfall, Firesong, Silverfox and Keisha all people who could help heal the boy. The took him to the guest wing, as they had no real place to call a infirmary. Darian placed him gently on the bed and then stepped back so Keisha and Firesong could look at the boy better. They too seemed shocked by the fact he looked Tayledras, silver hair and silver eyes. Keisha took one looked at his bruises she settled down and placed her hands on him and sank into a healers trance. Firesong watched over her shoulder as she did so. "Where did you find him?" Starfall asked quietly so as not to disturb Keisha.

"Just outside the Vale, on the north side of the village, where the forest meets the mountains, I wouldn't have gone that way but Kuari told me of someone running from men, so I went to look. And found him" Darian explained briefly talking to both Starfall and Silverfox who was also listening.

"What of the men, who are or were they?" Starfall asked.

"Judging on how they were dressed and what they had been carrying I would have put them to be slavers" Darian said, the dispassion in his voice clear. Silverfoxs eyes flashed briefly as did Starfall, to the Hawk brothers Slavers were the closest thing to human scum as could be, they killed slavers on sight. To many families had been crushed and torn apart by those kinds of men, the only people to hate slavers more were the Tervardi. Firesong was listening off hand they heard his intake of breath. The boy on the bed moaned and stirred but then settled again.

"The thing is, he looks to be Tayledras so how on earth did he get caught by slavers" Starfall mused pushing his braids over one shoulder.  
"I have not heard of anyone from any Vales missing" Silverfox added looking to Starfall to see if he had. Starfall shook his head.  
"I Haven't either" Starfall looked over to the bed.  
"He cant be more then sixteen and he looks to have suffered enough hurt to last two lifetimes over"

Darian was about to add something when Keisha's sudden intake of breath indicated she had come out of her trance. Firesong moved back. They all looked to Keisha to see what she would say. She wiped her hands on her sash nervously and then she turned round to face them. "I have healed all I can, the rest will take time, the bruises I cant heal, he is resistant to the healing. But I have healed his ribs, arm, fingers and shoulder. They were all broken" she finished quietly.

All of them went deathly quiet, each trying to master there inner anger. Keisha looked round from person to person, she had some more things to tell them, she just wasn't sure it was her thing to tell. Mentally she picked through what she had discovered whilst healing him. Finally she picked on the most puzzling. "There is one more thing" she said quietly. The tension in the room, if possible, increased.

"What is it" Asked Firesong half turning back to her.  
She swallowed and then went on. "He is not as young as he looks" she said glancing over him. "He is older" They looked at her questioningly. "How old?" asked Darian. "More then the sixteen we were guessing" "More on four hundred years old give or take" The others were speechless, they had not expected that old. "If that is right then, he is older then the mage storms he was alive before they happened" Silverfox said quietly having finished counting backwards. The other looked to one another, in wonder. "when he wakes up he is going to have to answer some questions" Starfall commented walking over to look at the boy. A movement by the door, made them all turn.  
Ayshen was there with a pile of fresh clothing, presumably for the boy. Well no he's not a boy Darian thought to himself. The person. It still amazed Darian just how the Hertasi knew when things were needed. Thanking him, Darian took the clothes off Ayshen and gave them to Keisha. It Didn't take long for her to change the clothes, seeing as the ones he was wearing were tattered and ragged. Ayshen took the rags and vanished. "He will sleep for a long while yet" Keisha warned. "I will stay with him, you best go" She said half sternly. Darian was going to protest he may be dangerous, but Keisha cut him off before he started. "I will be fine, he is hardly going anywhere in this state, when he wakes up I will tell you. And when he does wake up he is not going to want to see a load of men staring down at him, from what you said" she said pointing at Darian "Men hurt him, that's the last thing he going to want to see till he knows he is safe"

There was nothing they could do to argue, they knew she was right. And there was nothing they could do, till he woke, with a sigh Darian left the room last only stopping at the door to look back at Keisha with a glance that said, "Take Care". She nodded him. And then went to sit on the guest rooms chair. So she could watch over her patient. After a some minuets Darian returned, she looked up as his form blocked the light from the door. He gave her, her work basket and kiss on the cheek and then left with out a word. Keisha sat back down on her chair and took out her embroidery to pass the time.

((So there you go folks, what do you think of the first chapter, please review and tell me what you think. I will update as soon as I can)) 


	2. Explanations

((Tessabe- thank you for the review, I must apologise for the spelling, I do try but sometimes I do miss things but please bare with me I am trying to keep it readable. Also please note, that I am trying to back Date the mystery man to Urtho times, whilst the story is set when Darian is about 25, five or so years after Owl Knight Also thank you to wizard116 and Keiko-keket. Thank you)) 

Keisha stepped outside the small room, she had been watching the mystery man for the past two hours and all he had done was stir in his sleep, one she had aided for he looked as though he could do with a sleep. And mumble a few incoherent words. Her sowing lay on her vacated chair, for now she took in some fresher air at the window a little down the passage from the room. Being in the same room as the man had made her feel funny, as though she couldn't relax completely, she had her shields up all the time now, something she had learnt from Nightwind all those years ago. She reflected for a moment, before a slight change in the breathing in the room told her, her patient was now awake. She walked to the main outer door and looked round for one of the Hertasi, very soon one appeared waiting patiently.

"Please tell Firesong, Darian, Silverfox and Starfall thatheis awake, but please to come few at a time and try to be unthreatening" She told it. The Hertasi nodded and disappeared just as swiftly as it had appeared. Happy they would come soon she went back inside, making sure to make some noise, she didn't want to scare him. She was also glad she was not dressed in the "Normal" Hawkbrother style, she was wearing her modified greens. Knee length green tunic, and loose green trews, and a scarf round her waist. The tunic and scarf had leaves embroidered in a paler green. Hopefully the young man would know what all green clothes meant.

As she came back to the door of the room she was about to step inside, when her empathic senses, picked up fear. Not just the normal "Don't know where you are fear" but the real fear for what was going to happen to him fear. It drowned out all other emotions the lad may have had except pain, the pain for his injuries. Tightening her shields she took and breath and stepped into the room.

The young man had managed to sit himself up, he was looking down at his clothes touching them ever so gently in case they vanished, she guessed they must have been the nicest things he had worn for a while. Evidently he hadn't heard her. She coughed softly to get his attention, his head flew up like a startled horse, fear again crossed his face and then confusion, she was dressed Hawkbrother, but she wasn't. He stared at the cover on the bed not meeting her gaze again.

"How do you feel?" She asked staying by the door, she didn't want to add to the lads fear she wanted him to feel safe.

The young man gaze did not leave the cover but he opened his mouth a few times trying to speak before the words came out, "Fine, thank you Lady" He spoke with a stammer and an unusual lilt to his voice, not one she had heard before. And he could speak Tayledras.

"My name is Keisha, I am a healer with the Hawk brothers, you are in the K'Valdemar Vale, you are safe now" She went on.  
The lad said nothing.

"Do you have a name?" She tried.

He looked up at her, meeting her eyes for a second, she saw astonishment that she wanted to know his name.  
"My name is Sage, Lady Healer" Again he stammered, it was like he had to think about the words before he could say them. Slowly she walked and sat back down on the chair she had vacated, moving gracefully and slowly, she didn't want to scare him.  
He looked as though he wanted to say something, but he wouldn't. she wondered why he didn't and then she remembered that he had been a slave, and that someone had once told her slaves only spoke when spoken to and they definitely did not ask questions of there betters. Thinking about all the things people had told her about slavery she knew they would have there work cut out for them.

"Is there something you want to ask?" She tried to ask in the friendliest tone she could. "Yes, Lady, please forgive me, but is this really Hawkbrothers?, I am safe?" He was looking up at her through his eyelashes he would not meet her gaze directly.  
"Yes, you are. No one will hurt you whilst you are here you are safe" and then as an after thought "You are FREE" she added with feeling. Sage looked at her with a lopsided look, she could not read his expression. He went to get up put she pushed him gently back down.  
"Don't try that just yet" She said with a smile. "you have heal".  
He nodded and settled back down.

She was about to ask him some more when the others arrived, and despite her asking, all of them were there. But to their credit Firesong, Darian and Starfall came into the room fully Silverfox stayed outside the room.

They looked at Sage, he looked at them through his lashes, the fear she could feel coming off him had subsided slightly when she had told him where he was, and thankfully he wasn't afraid of the new arrivals. All of them haddressed down.  
Darian was dressed simply but richly in his normal browns. Firesong, was all different shades of blue and Starfall was in his favourite silver and white robe.

"This is Sage" She said standing and stepping forward so she was between Sage and the rest, Sage this is Darian, Firesong, Starfall Mages of this Vale and that outside is Silverfox Kestra' chern." She motioned to each as she said their name. At Silverfoxs title, Sage actually looked up and looked at Silverfox for a long minute and then away again.

"Sage we know you have had a hard time but there are something's we would like answers to" Starfall said not waiting for anymore small talk. -He sat down on the chair that Keisha had left, he didn't want to be looming over the young man-.

The sooner the unpleasant was out of the way the sooner the healing and getting better would start, mentally and physically. Keisha retreated a little so she was in the background, but still on hand if she felt Sage got to upset when Keisha had moved she could see Firesong's face, he looked deep in thought, or more correctly what she could see below the mask. She was glad he had picked one of the plainer masks, she wasn't sure how Sage would react to some of the more elaborate ones. She listened to Starfall he had started to ask questions.

"Lets start at the beginning, how old are you?" Starfall was starting easy.  
"I don't rightly know Lord mage" Sage voice was quiet, but it didn't hide the stammer or the lilt.  
Starfall frowned "My name is Starfall, I am no lord, you don't know how old you are, do you know where you were born, What Vale?"

Sage looked up slowly he was unsure but he answered. "I was not born, I was created in the tower, no vale" Starfall's face went into confusion he was thinking what Sage had just told him. Darian's too. Created in a tower, it sounded like one of the horror tales her father would tell her brothers.

Sage was looking from face to face, it was clear by his face that this was something he didn't tell many people this. Keisha was about to say something when a snap of Firesong's fingers broke the silence, he stepped forward so Sage could see him. Firesong had a slight smile on his face. "I think I can help here, You are Sage" He said pointing to the young man. "Created in the Mage tower, you were created to help with something weren't you, but the tower collapsed before you were finished" He queried. The others looked at him as though he had gone mad.

"When I was in Valdemar at the palace I was reading in the collegiums libraries trying to find a cause and cure to the Mage Storms, when I found something, you know about Urtho and Ma'ar and it was the collapsing of Urtho's tower that was the trigger" the others nodded blankly this they knew, only Sage was looking animated.

"Well in those books was a diary, it was taken from Urtho's own notes, it told of something he'd made to help stop Ma'ar, he said he called it Sage, he would be the key" Firesong shrugged, "That was all, the rest of the Diary was lost when the tower fell"

The others looked dumb founded, this meant that Sage was far older then anyone had ever imagined.

"Are you immortal" Darian asked thoughtfully.

"No sir, I can not die, for I do not live" Sage replied. Darian looked confused for a moment.

"What are you then?, how can you not live?, you look human" Darian went on. He sat down on the floor, in a tailor seat, Firesong did the same and Keisha noted that Silverfox had come into the room quietly and was standing by the door, watching Sage overtly.

"I have heard of something like that" Darian added quietly, "I thought it was rumour, not real" his voice trailed off.

Sage looked round. "Urtho, made me to look human, I am made of magic. The old magic, before the storms. As long as there is magic I am. If the magic were to fade then so would I. He made me to be a" He paused thinking for the word. "A Holder for magic, a channel. I am key for something" Sages face went sad pain and loss flashed across his eyes, before he hid his feelings. "Urtho died before he could train me properly. Although he did tell me, if anything happened, find the Tayledras." he paused for a second gesturing awkardly to his features. "Thats why he made me look like this, a Tayledras with strong power would be less strange round the tower" He looked at the others, they were nodding, it was true, Hawkbrothers were noted for the unusual powers

"they will be able to help. I am thing for good, Sage said "that's why he had made me, to help fight evil."

He stopped and looked away from them all. "I was good, I was" he said to himself, quietly barely audible.

Firesong rose from his seat on the floor and looked to the door pointedly, the others got the message. This had been enough. Too many memories would be bad. Slowly the others stood.

"We will come back later" Starfall said gently as they left. Silverfox was the last one to the door he turned . Giving Sage a hard, thoughtfully look, then he too turned and left quietly.

Keisha helped Sage lay back down and helped him comfortable, checking his wounds quickly. She aided him into sleep and left him. The she went to find Firesong and ask some questions about Sage before going back to her workshop, to check on her bruise balm, she had a feeling that she would need a lot for Sage.

((And that is the end of this chapter. So please review again and tell me what you think.))


	3. A talk and a companion

((Thank you to my reviewers, and to answer some questions, blue4dogs - erm yes they were the same people once, it's a slight mishap on my part, by the time I realised this it was to late to change, and as far as I can tell from the Mage Wars the silver hair and eyes was a common look for the mages of the Tayledras/Kaled'a'in/Shina'in (Hawkbrother??), so please bare with me, hopeful my little mistake should sort its self out.  
Thank you Tessababe and wizard116.  
I apologise once again for any mistakes this is my first Misty book and I am little hazy on the finer details. -edit- And please note I am aiming to update at least once a week, hopefully round the Friday, Saturday mark so if you want to keep up that's when I should be updating) 

Keisha smoothed the last of the bruise balm over the bruises and lacerations on Sages back. She had been doing this for the last eight or so weeks and now nearly all of the bruises and cuts had faded, all that remained were the scars, both physical and mental, and they too were slowly being healed.

"All done" She said cheerily moving, back to wipe her hands on a rag, Sage rolled off his stomach and sat up. He pulled his shirt back on. He was still wearing the same simple style clothes they had given him when he first arrived, no matter what they had said he had still asked for them. He pulled on his top and sat on the edge of the treatment table looking round her workshop at the flowers and herbs she grew in there until she came back to him carrying the next part of his treatment, different sized and weighted balls filled with sand. She gave the two lightest ones to him.

"Raise your arms" She told him, she had made a routine of exercises for him to do once a day, something Silverfox had suggested to her, to help get movement back into his recently healed shoulder, arm and fingers. Obediently he raised both arms straight out, the left one, the one that had been both broken and dislocated, was still slightly lower then the right. She gave him slightly heavier balls each time he repeated the exercise until he couldn't lift a ball with his left hand. She noted that he had improved, he had barely been able to manage the third heaviest one, now he could just lift the fifth one. Next she had him wiggle his fingers and squeeze the various sized balls. Still his left hand was weaker, also his fingers on that hand were still slightly bent, but she reassured him that they would get better with time, the muscles had to stretch.

Finally when they were done she let him go with a smile. Watching him walk down the path looking at the flowers around him. She had to smile, after all he had gone through, and what that was exactly, no-one knew for he had not told much, but it was bad that they knew. The fact he was still able to be happy and look forward was amazing. She turned from the doorway and went about tidying up her treatment room, ready for the next person.

With a nod of thanks Sage picked up his shirt slid into it and jumped off the table and left her workshop. He walked slowly down the paths from Keisha's healers building. Not looking which path was on because he was looking at everything around him, the world fascinated him. He had a child like innocence in wanting to know things, how they worked, what made them go. This in turn amused the Hawkbrothers, it had taken them a while to get used to his questions and his strange way of talking. He sighed a happy sigh, people here were so nice and helpful, a shadow flickered across his eyes, would he have to tell them about what happened, where he had been across the sea for all this time. No one had asked him, but still he knew they must wonder, he knew because he could sense it, he had empathy, among everything else, this they had found out after the first few days of un-aided healing sleep, Starfall had found him cowering in the corner of his room, his hands over his ears to block out the "Talking".

Snapping out of his revere he found his walk had taken him up by a water fall. No one was around, and he had some time before he had to go and see Starfall or Darian and sometimes Firesong they were teaching him about shielding so he would stop "hearing" and sensing what people thought, they had been shocked when they "Saw" the shielding he had developed over the years, it was the all or nothing approach, he either heard everything or nothing.

So he sat down on the rocks and watched the water bubbling away, it was so peaceful up here, he watched the little trickle of water run down to become the waterfall. These were amazing things these waterfalls the Hertasi had told him that the mages had helped make these, he could feel the slight pulse of mage power all around him. He loved this Vale, it was the first one he had ever been in, he felt so at home, the feel of magic it was so alive.

Silverfox had been walking along the same path as Sage had, enjoying the same view, he was about to step out when he saw Sage enjoying the waterfall. He looked so peaceful so worry free that he didn't want to interrupt. He watched the "Boy". It had been a universal decision to think of Sage as how he looked, rather then how old he was. It was simpler and saved explaining, not all the people in the Vale knew about Sage. And Sage said he didn't mind being thought of has young, it made him feel as though he had a new start.

Since Sage had, had a hair cut and a wash and his bruises were fading, they could see how pale he really was, far paler then any "Normal" human, and his hair was now so short so it stuck out round his head rather like a dandelion clock, Silverfox had thought. Silverfox had thought himself quite well hidden, but he jumped slightly when Sage spoke to him with out looking.

"You need not hide on my account Kestra'chern sir" Sage spoke slowly, as he had found most people unable to follow his lilting stammer if he spoke quickly.

Silverfox stepped out and walked to join Sage sitting on the rocks, the morning light played with the bubbling water, he could see why Sage had stopped here. Silverfox chose a rock not to close to Sage, as they had all noted he was rather nervous in male company, but then that was probably justified.

Silverfox had enjoyed talking to Sage, as he had known Amberdrake, a well known Kestra'chern, who had been friends with Urtho, although what he knew was limited he was happy to share. Silverfox was happy to listen, talking was one of the best healers, he hoped that Sage would eventually trust them enough to fill in the years between then and now. He had told bits, but the latter part of his life had not been mentioned, the closet he had come was to say "The land across the sea".  
All this though thinking had taken no more then a few seconds. "I didn't realise you were aware of me, I didn't want to disturb you" Silverfox said aloud, getting comfortable.

"Slaves always know when someone is around" Sage had replied with a half grin. Turning his head to look at Silverfox.

Silverfox thought this over for a second and then nodded, he couldn't think of an answer to a statement like that. "How is your arm now?" he asked instead, changing the subject.

Sage turned to face him, crossing his legs on his rock. He lifted his arm up to as high as it would go.  
"Slightly better, but I still can not lift it above my head. Healer Keisha said it would get better with time, and if I keep doing those exercises with the balls" He told Silverfox lowering his arm. He looked at the Kestra'chern from under his lashes before speaking again.  
"Thank you for them" He said quietly. "No-one had ever helped me before"

Silverfox smiled, "Your welcome, I thought they would work for you, I have seen warriors who have had bad injuries use something similar" Silverfox told him, "As long as you keep them up you will be fine" Silverfox went on. He thought about the stretches that Firesong now did, they'd helped him regain some flexibility.

He was about to say more, but Sage had turned away, looking into the distance, one of the other more powerful of his gifts that he had wished to be trained in was Foresight. It turned out that he had very strong magic in this area, something Firesong guessed was intentional by Urtho. Even though he had only been practising for a few months he was getting to be good at seeing which future was likely. As Sage had explained it, he saw not one possible future but many, although things that other people did determined which would happen.

Firesong had told Silverfox one night, that even though Sage had been made from all magic- theold magic.He didn't want to know how to use some of it, only how to control it. Healing and helping seemed to be the main theme of what he wanted to learn, every time Firesong or Darian had mentioned battle magic, or offensive magicto Sage he had changed the subject or gone very quiet. He though this over to himself whilst he waited for Sage to finish "Seeing" whatever it was he could see.

There was another meeting planned for later in the day. It was to discuss what action should be taken if the people Sage had run from should ever come looking, they would never give him back, whatever he was meant for, it was not what they had been using him for. He was one of them now.

Silverfox was suddenly aware of Sage touching his arm to get his attention, as soon as he focused on Sage, the "Boy" moved back. He looked unnerved, Silverfox wondered what he had seen, he didn't have to wait long.

"Someone is coming" Sage started, "Someone in white all white, with long hair, he had a white horse, but the horse feels wrong, he is with a man, noble I think" Sage finished. Silverfox knew instantly who it must be, Herald Anda, "The noble old or young?" he asked starting to rise.

Sage thought for a moment eyes closed "Old"

"Its Lord Breon then and Herald Anda" Silverfox explained starting back down the path. "There is something else" Sage called after him, "The noble did not look happy". Silverfox who had stopped to here the last bit of information nodded and set off down the path to let the others know they would have guests. Leaving Sage alone on his rock.

Sage tried to get interested in the water again but he was to distracted. The white horse kept coming back to mind, he knew there was something about the horse, it was more then it seemed, and what on earth was a Herald he mused. He had missed so much being away, but he was catching up slowly, he had been overjoyed to hear and see that the Hertasi, dyheli, kyree and Gryphons had all survived the towers collapse and had gotten away. He could remember pulling the very delirous Urtho out of the tower and getting him someway away, before the mage had died. He remembered the pain of magical backlash, and the pain of having to bury Urtho. Sage had laid him to rest under some of the rubble of the tower he had loved so much.

He didn't know how long his sat on the rubble, Ma'ars mercenaries had found him sometime later, fled after their had died to loot the battlefields. They had never guessed they would find something like Sage. They never guessed what he was. They had took him away with them. Back to their home over the sea, that had been so long ago. He shook himself out of his memories, he was to learn how to heal and help, and how to stop hearing and feeling what other people thought and felt. He would be useful. He told himself sternly.

Getting off his rock, he went to find someone who could tell him, what a Herald was. He knew that Darian and Firesong would be busy if a noble was about. So he continued on up the path until he came to cliffs and rocks at the top edge of the lake. He saw Kel taking a bath, spraying water everywhere as he rolled about in the shallows. Sage smiled waiting far enough away so he wouldn't get wet, when Kel had shook himself off and had laid down on a nice warm flat rock. Not realising that Kel had not seen him he walked on up to the rock, and stepped round so he was facing Kel.

"Kel can I talk to you please?" Sage asked. If it was possible for a gryphon to jump then Kel came very close, he had been dozing off, his eyes half closed, when Sage suddenly appeared in front of him, he reacted instinctively, his talons stopped a fraction away from the young man.

Sage to his credit did not move an inch, a good thing giving if he had of done, he would now have some nasty scratches. Kel lowered his fist and sat up. "Sage, you dolt, I could've hurt you then, didn't anyone tell you never sneak up on a sleeping gryphon" Kel spluttered out. That had been a close call. It unnerved him that someone could sneak up on him like that.

"Kel I am sorry, really I am, I thought you have seen me" Sage apologised, he also know how close that had been. He looked so worried that Kel relented, "It doesn't matter, no harm done, you said you wanted to talk, what was it?" he asked lying back down, his head resting on his forelegs. Sage took a seat on the edge of the rock, "What is a Herald? And what is their horse?" He asked. "One has just come in, Silverfox didn't have time to say what they were"

"A herald" Kel said shocked how could someone not know what a herald was, if it had been anyone else, he would of suspected them to have been joking, but not with Sage. "A herald is someone who has been chosen by a companion" He explained, Sages face creased with thought, then he realised the horse was the companion. "The herald usually has some mage gift, like mind speech or foresight something like that, and them and the companion help in the smooth running of Valdemar" Kel finished. Sage nodded, he had seen similar things, only un-magical, even though the horse now had a name, something was still not right with it. He jumped off the rock, he was going to see this for himself. Kel watched him go with a sigh, before resuming his sleep on his rock.

Sage stepped quietly round the side of the council chamber, he could hear voices inside, they were talking about something, in heated voices. He stopped to listen. "Well I said I can feel something here, its disturbing all the nodes and lines round here, you must have felt it" Said a strange voice, it was male but slightly higher then normal, but cultured. Not Hawkbrother.

"They is nothing strange here, no lines or node in the vale have been disturbed" Returned a voice, Darian, Sage identified.

"Experiments then, a trainee mage maybe" A deeper voice questioned.

"No, no trainees" That was Firesong. Sage had a feeling that they were hiding something, then he realised as he listen more, it was him, they were hiding him from these strangers.

Sage dropped his shields ever so slightly, So he could feel what was happening, anger from the two strangers at something being hidden from them, and amusement from the Hawkbrother mages.

"Well" demanded the lighter voice "What is it? that's been doing this, what"

"There is no it anywhere" started Firesong. But then he stopped, he could feel Sage outside, although Sage had some control over his shields they were not brilliant. "_Sage don't reveal yourself not yet, please wait until you have more_ _control on your shields_" Firesong mind spoke to Sage, "_We will sort them out_"

Sage resisted for a moment and then mentally nodded, "_I will leave them for you, I want to see the horse anyway, it looks pretty"_ he added before swinging away from the window to find the companion. Leaving the meeting and the fussing noble behind.

Soon Sage came to the trees on the edge dyheli field, he sensed the companion before he saw him, and when he did it took his breath away, "Star Lady be blessed" he cursed under his breath, "I never thought I would see this, sothey come back."

((and that is all for now, I end on a cliff hanger to keep you keen. I will update as soon as I can, and please review I love them all, they help me make a better story for all"


	4. Somewhere I belong

((my thanks to the reviewers and to Tessabe, who is helping with this story now. I have made a slight different version of where the companions come from, this is my own idea mainly just a little of Mrs M L. for good mesure, enjoy)) 

Sage stayed where he was for a long while watching the companion in the field below. Slightly he shifted his position on the branch. He sat down, with his legs dangling, then he gripped the branch and with both hands and flipped himself over backwards, until he was hanging by his hands, one last glance round to make sure he was alone he dropped out of the tree and walked towards the companion.

His bare feet made no sound on the grass as he approached, the companion had no idea that he was there, after talking to Firesong,  
Sage had put his shields back up. He stopped a few feet from the companion he coughed so it would know he was there. The companion looked up startled.. Sage sank to his knees, so they would be eye to eye.

"Hello old one" Sage said carefully, trying not to stammer. "It has been a long time, I was told I would meet your kind again, but then you all looked so very different" He went on.  
The companion Eran to his credit had not backed back with fright when he recognized Sage. This was a meeting of equals, Eran knew what Sage was, and Sage knew something that not even the heralds knew, when and were the companions had come from. And in that instant Eran knew what it was Anda has said he felt, Eran blocked all contact with Anda for the moment telling him he wanted to think privately for a while. Anda had barely noted he was so busy arguing.

"So its you that's causing the disturbance" Eran mindspoke, with a mental smile. "It has been so long that we never thought we would see you again, we thought you had forsaken what he made you for, we thought you abandoned the people or worse been destroyed when explosions happened" .

Still kneeling Sage bowed his head, "I never would have forsaken what I was made for, if I had known. As for destroyed, no Urtho gave me very strong and special shields, to make sure that magic didn't destroy me or I become to powerful.". Sage raised his head and looked at Eran.

"I wandered around away from the tower I walked a long way and was eventually taken by the mercs from across the sea. I have been away since the tower fell I have missed so much"  
He looked up and tried for a brighter smile and changed the subject.  
"I never would have guessed this guise" he added with a smile of his own. "Why chose a horse? When your other guise was" he paused "Well more like me"

Eran bowed his head this time, "We thought since we had been ignored and passed over before, we picked this form and devised a way we could help people. Although unlike you, we forgot some of what we should remember, so we picked people, people who would listen, people who had gifts. Gifts that could be used to help, then we got healers and bards people to help and remember all that should not be forgotten, then when they died we embrace them into our race, to be born again as a companion. Many companions are born again heralds. When we Choose, our bond is unique." the companion told Sage stopping to let all that sink in.

Sage sat back on the grass and thought for a long while, Eran stood and let him think. Sages mind was racing, the companions, it was still strange to think of them by that name, and well in this form. They had looked so different then, so more like him, human looking. They were a pure race, not made by any mage like him, but by magic its self. But unlike him they could and would die, if only to be reborn. And they one thing he wished he could have above all else, the ability to forget.

Sage looked up again "Do they know what you were?" he asked.  
Eran shook his head, "No, we didn't tell them for fear history would repeat itself. Do they know about you and what you are for?" Eran returned the question.  
Sage looked up. "They know that Urtho made me, but that is it. What I am for, and what I can do" Sage shrugged "The latter, I am scared myself to tell them, and the former, I do not know. Urtho barely had time to teach me to talk, he was away so much." Sage stopped talking.  
It still hurt inside for him to talk about Urtho.

Suddenly Sage looked round, every muscle tense. "Someone is coming,  
your Herald I think and that noble. I have to go" Sage leapt nimbly to his feet he was about to run, but he stopped and turned crouching he bowed his head to Eran, "please old one, do not tell them, him, anyone that I am here. I need time please. They will learn of me when I can be of use"  
Eran bowed his head in return "I will not tell, your secret is safe until you are ready to tell them, they will not hear about you from me" Eran promised. Knowing that the companion would keep his word.  
Sage turned and fled back into the trees.

As nimble as any squirrel, though maybe a little less graceful considering his limited use of one arm. He swung into the tree and vanished into the branches. After a short while he drew to a halt,  
something was following him. He crouched in his branch, a rather thin one, but seeing as he weighed next to nothing it didn't matter. With one hand on the branch for balance he watched. He frowned listening,  
something was following him through the trees. He froze what, could it be, this high up in the trees, then he recognised the sounds.

He smiled. "Kuari I am here" he called softly into the trees, after a few minutes he was rewarded with Darian's bond bird hopping into view.  
And it looked as if the bird did not appreciate having to hop through the trees. The look the owl gave him could have soured milk.  
When the owl was close enough Sage reached out a hand and petted Kuari on his chest and ear tufts. The large owl closed his eyes in bliss.  
"I am guessing that Darian or Firesong would like to see me" He said softly to the bird.

"Yes we would" said a voice, it took Sage a moment to realize that the voice was Firesong's and the voice had come from below. Sage took his hand away from Kuari and stood on his branch and walked forward till the leaves below him cleared. There standing looking up was Darian, Firesong, Starfall and to Sage's surprise Snowfire and Wintersky. Sage peered down, looked back to check that Kuari was out of the way. And then to all appearances he threw himself forwards and fell out of the tree,  
only to land on the ground in a graceful crouch.

"I really wish you wouldn't do that" Darian said with a weary voice,  
"It takes years off me when you do"

Sage rose and grinned at Darian, "My arm is not to strong, it was the quickest way down." Sage stood waiting for whatever they wanted him for to be revealed. Whilst he was waiting, he looked at their clothes,  
Darian and Firesong were both dressed, in many layered costumes,  
Firesong was wearing blue shirt, tunic, trews and boots, with silver stitching and a blue and silver mask decorated with Aya's feathers.  
Darian was wearing a tunic and shirt in different shades of brown, his trews were a more golden shade and his boots, a darker brown.  
Snowfire, still wore the dyed costumes of the scouts, his hair was dyed in a mottled pattern of brown and green. Sage thought that if Snowfire stood still near a tree he would be invisible.

Sage thought how funny he must look to the Hawkbrothers. He was wearing simple linen trousers and a loose long sleeved tunic partially laced, both in a pale brownish beige color. He wore no boots, he didn't like the feel of them on his feet. He preferred to feel the earth under his feet.

It Didn't take too long for them to get to the point of why they had been looking for him, Starfall led the way to a clearing, hidden from view by a curtain of vines. Starfall lifted the vines out of the way and motioned for the others to go through, when all were in the clearing and either sitting on tree stumps or standing. They all looked to Sage, he had a bad feeling about this, they all looked so serious at him he wondered what they were going to say.

"Sage we wanted to talk to you about several things" Starfall started,  
"You know that a Herald came here a while ago"  
Sage nodded, silently.

"Well he said that he and his companion have been feeling some very unusual magical surges recently, mainly at night. Now we know that there are no trainee mages here at the moment and Herald Anda, knows its nothing in the village or at the keep. This Herald is a mage so he knows that we are hiding something from him" Starfall paused "The question is, is it you he can feel?"

Sage looked away, no wonder they all looked so serious. He had never thought that they would have another mage somewhere else. How could he have been so stupid.  
"Sage" Darian prompted when he did not answer.  
Sage looked put his head up but he could not meet anyone's gaze. "I am so very sorry, I know I should not have gone out but I wanted to practice, I did not think I would bother anyone"

All of the Vale mages and the one scout looked to each other. "Sage there is no rule about you having to stay inside the Vale, we never offered to take you out because you still seemed to be unsure, we never meant to make you feel you had to stay" Starfall said, unable to disguise the shock in his voice. Sage looked up slowly.  
"You mean I have not done anything wrong?" he asked slowly.  
Darian laughed "Of course not, you are free to come and go"

Sage smiled slowly but he still looked worried, "I did not tell you because I did not want to seem ungrateful for all you have done, I am very grateful. Like I said I wanted to practice somewhere where there was no magic to either distract me or for me to corrupt by accident"

"Practice what?" Snowfire asked he too knew of Sage's reluctance to use active magic."I will show you if it pleases" Sage offered. The others nodded. Sage sat down on the floor where he was, relief flooded through him when he had found out what they had wanted. They seemed happy enough, he dreaded to think what would happen if they asked him to leave. That was one of the reasons he had not told them why he didn't want to use magic other than to help.

He sat on the floor and crossed his legs, arms on his knees. He meditated for a second, and then let his shields up, in his mind he saw them as a shimmering silver wall. He had been practicing this every night since Darian and the others had been teaching him. He would Leave the vale and pick a spot in the forest where he was not likely to be found . Practicing at night meant he had less time to sleep, less time for nightmares.

When he was happy that the shield was right, he mentally left it in place, a shimmering wall all around them. Then he moved his hand taking something out of his pockets and putting in his hand, then holding his hand palm up, he concentrated on his next bit. Slowly he pushed magic into the tiny object into his hand, it was a seed he had picked up from one of the flower beds, suddenly it sprang into life, flowering in his hand. Carefully he placed the flower onto the earth by his legs, and urged it to take root. It did happily flowering until it was in full bloom, its roots thrusting deep into the earth. Slowly Sage held his hand over the flower and moved it sideways.

Suddenly lots of little seeds fell from the flower and began to take root, happily flowering away. Stopping his hand stopped the flow of flowers. His eyebrows creased with concentration, he could feel a pulse of magic, tapping away at his mind, it was very distracting. He was just about to stop and take down his shield when Darian's hushed voice spoke to him.

Darian, the other mages and Wintersky had been watching intently, both with mage sight and with normal eye sight in Winterskys case. All could feel Sage concentrating on his magic, then they saw his shield go up. Literally go up, a column of slivery light sprang up behind Sage, and then moved spreading until it was all around them. This was the first time any of them had seen a shield like this. The first time they had seen this from Sage, all the other shields had been mental ones not physical.

All of them watched with bated breath as Sage took something out of his pocket and made it sprout. All were further still amazed when he made the flowers, spread along following his hand movement. When it had appeared he had finished Darian spoke to him.

"Sage open your eyes if you can" Darian near whispered, he could feel how much control the boy was using for his shield, an unusual amount for something so small really. The look on Sages face showed he had no idea of what his shield looked like.

Sage opened his eyes slowly and carefully. What he saw made him gape,  
a really silvery wall all round. "Is that really me?" he whispered.  
Starfall and Firesong nodded. "Oh" was all Sage could think of to reply. He shut his eyes again and willed all the left over magic back into himself. When all was back he let go of his shields willing them back into the ground and back into himself. When he could mentally see no more he opened his eyes again.  
"I can do some more things but something here is distracting me,  
something big and magical, I could not feel it in the forest" he said shyly. They were all looking at him funny. He wasn't sure why.

"Sage, we have something to ask of you" Starfall started, he sounded so serious Sages heart began to sank fearing the worst. "We have all talked about it and well, If you don't mind we would like you join our Vale". It took all of Sage's, years of training in manners to keep his jaw from dropping and gaping.  
"You what, really" he began happily, but then he suddenly thought, "I thank you but what about My Masters, what if they come to look for me"  
He said sadly. "I would not want to bring them down on you." he felt gutted, the first time in a long time he felt wanted and somewhere where he was useful and his past was there ready to ruin all.

"If these people come looking for you, we will make sure that they understand, one way or another, that you are with us now" The way Wintersky said that, and the way his hand dropped to his very long and very sharp knife, made Sage believe him.  
"Besides, we have Kel. He likes to chase armies" Added Darian with a half smile.

"And if you say yes, then we can get down to the real teaching and learning" chimed in Starfall. All of them had been amazed by what Sage had just shown them. And if they had not decided it before then they would have then. There was no way they could let him go. He had so much to offer and so much to give. Starfall had cursed Urtho for making something and not telling it what it was for. They would find a job for Sage, they would show him that not all people were hurtful and needed to be feared.

Sage was glad he was sitting down, for he would have fallen down with shock. He was wanted. Truly wanted and needed, he could feel it. These people would help him and he could help them. His heart sang. He almost wished his Master was their now, to see these people, people he could not scare. Remembering his manners Sage stood slowly. And bowed to them all, as he straightened he had a smile on his face.

"In that case, I accept, thank you, thank you so very much" he told them all.  
Good then, that's settled, we can tell the others later" Starfall said. Stepping forward and tying a talisman round Sages neck. Sage craned his head down to look at it. It was a bird of prey shaped in some silvery metal.  
"That means you are one of us now, and no one can contest that" Darian said showing Sage his own Hawkbrother talisman. It was all Sage could do to smile. As they walked off down the path to find and tell the others. And prepare for the ceremony to make Sage a wing brother. That would please the Hertasi, they loved to plan for things like this, and there hadn't been a good celebration in a long while.

((so there we go, I hope you liked this part. Please review I love them all)


	5. A nice night for a party

((right erm people you have read the story wrong it is Keisha who says she thinks Sage is 400 hundreds years old. It is Sage himself that says he was made by Urtho chapter two or three i think.

Casus Fere bare with me in the next few chapters i will explain why Sage was away for so long. it will make sense.

But thank you all for the reviews they are as ever greatly wanted and needed. please keep them coming)

Seven months later>

Darian, and Firesong walked round the gardens of Lord Breons keep.  
They had been invited to the festival that was held at the keep every Autumn. All the villagers came up and there would be feasting and dancing into the small hours of the morning. All around it was decorated in colourful leaves gathered from the forests. The tables decorated in Autumn food and colours, gold's, browns and deep reds.  
Special perches had been made inside and out for all of the Hawkbrother bond birds. A sign that understanding had been made.

Darian, wore a costume of deep browns, a dark shirt and tunic, with paler brown leaves embroided all over it. Dark trousers and boots with very dark brown stitching. Both the shirt and trousers had fringed beadwork. Although the bead work was only visible on one sleeve of his shirt as he was wearing his wrist to shoulder arm guard.

Firesong was all in red, many different shades of dark red, his shirt and trousers were both a few shades apart, and his over robe was as red as just turned leaves. His mask also reflected the autumn feel and was made to look like it was made of gilded leaves. As they walked around the gardens Firesong had to smile, some of the Hawkbrother fashion was rubbing off on the local people. Subtle things, use of colour, beading on clothing.

"Ahh there you are" A deep commanding voice hailed them, they turned round and saw lord Breon heading towards them Lord Breon didn't wear a costume as such, his clothing was all brown, with a golden leave circlet keeping his rich brown hair back. "it's turned out to be quiet a good show" Breon looked round, before looking back to the pair.

"Please excuse My lady's absence, but she is helping with the grandchildren" Breon explained . It was well known that lady Ismay had gone into her element, with grandchildren to help look after. So far Lady Belinda had, had two children, one was a very solemn little girl of five and the other her younger brother who was three, and always getting into some trouble. And with knowledge that Belinda was expecting again. All were busy.

A call made them turn, it was Val heading towards them with a happy smile. Although he was his fathers voice in court he still liked to be home as often as he could. Hence why Belinda and the children were still here. Val was to dressed for the fair in shades of brown and gold he looked very festive like. Firesong and Darian both greeted Val with equally happy smiles and greetings.

"How is the mother to be?" Darian asked after a while of round of talk.

Vals smile widened again. "Bel is fine, she and mother are having a storm with the nursery, they want it redecorated" he paused and winced "Again". The other three laughed, Lady's Belinda and Ismay had gotten on wonderfully after the wedding and were now as thick as thieves when it came to planning anything. Val and Breon had long since learnt to be out of the way or they got roped into helping.

They talked for while, then both Val and Breon were called away.  
Firesong and Darian also drifted away they walked through the fringes of crowds that were watching dancers, jugglers and other people who were performing. Firesong looked round, he finally realised what was missing, children. Normally at these things children were everywhere getting under foot and being loud.

Spying a child running towards the outer walls they wandered in the same direction. And there between a fire eater and a drinks table many children were gathered, all watching a performer. He was making coins dance across his hands, making them disappear only to reappear from out of a child's ear. Darian and Firesong shared a glance and then went to watch, standing off to one side so they did not disturb the performer. After making the coin disappear again, he moved onto sweets.

When these were pulled out of ears he let the child keep them. When all the children had a sweet. He sent them all off with a promise of more tricks later. The children ran away laughing and shouting with each other all holding their prizes tightly.

When all the children were gone. Firesong and Darian moved in to talk to the performer. Because the performer was no stranger, it was Sage.  
"We didn't think you would come" Firesong said sitting on one of the crates that were spaced around Sage.

It was well known by all in the Vale that Sage hated being in places like Lord Breons Keep. All the people around made him nervous. And every time there was a festival Lord Breon invited him. The introduction of Sage to Lord Breon had gone better then expected.

They had not told Breon the whole truth about Sage only that he was Hawkbrother, a mage who had been away for a long time. And when he asked were Sages bond bird was. Sage had quietly told him, that he had been taken away from Valdemar as a child and put with people who know nothing about Hawkbrother and he had never had the chance to have a bond bird. Lord Breon had simply thought about this for a while and then nodded excepting Sage.

Herald Anda on the other had had gone off in what could only be called a tantrum he was angry at the fact that they had not told him straight away about another mage and now he was avoiding them all when they came to the keep. This however suited Sage fine. He didn't like the herald anyway, only the Companion.  
And now the few times Sage went to the keep he stuck to the shadows,  
its where he felt most comfortable and safe.

The people in Erolds grove knew about him as well. Only they knew him as a little shy but great with children and that was that. That had been about seven months ago.

Sage was dressed in festival colours, only he didn't wear the costumes that the other Hawkbrother did, he'd stuck to the simple long sleeved tunic and loose trews and going bare foot. Only he had acquired some more to his outfit. Beads being the main thing, beads and changing his hair colour.

He had discovered beads and he loved them, the more the better. He wore them as bracelets, all different kinds of beads. Wooden, clay,  
glass and metal he loved all the different kinds. He had so many that when he wore them all. Which he did most of the time they went all the way up to his elbows. Only his long sleeves covered them, a careful listener would hear them clattering when he moved, and whenever he stretched his arms you could see them.

Darian had asked once a few months ago why he wore so many, they were heavy, he had felt them. Sage had quietly pulled up his sleeves and taken off all the beads he was wearing and showed Darian his arms.  
Darian had been horrified as had Firesong, who had been there at the time. Firesong had scars on his arms but nothing as bad as Sages. All of both arms were scared terribly. "From being burnt and cut" Sage had said quietly as he put his beads back on and pulled his sleeves down. After that Darian never asked again.

And Firesong had told Silverfox after some careful thinking. Silverfox in turn went to talk to Sage as a friend. No-one knew what they talked about, Silverfox wouldn't tell. He told them that when Sage was ready then they would find out but until then they would have to wait. As Silverfox pointed out candidly "everyone has ghosts they want to forget" that had stopped all questions.

His hair was also another thing he loved to change. Nearly every week it was something different. Since he was made of strong magic, his hair didn't keep any colour other then its normal silver for long. It was like the Companions, they couldn't be dyed colours either. The magic in them faded the dye within a week. So he was always dying it.  
At the moment it was a faded brown. By tomorrow it would be silver again. He loved to try different colours who knows what it would be by tomorrow night.

It had taken a long time for him to realise he could do that. Wear nice things and have his hair how he liked and no-one would complain or say he couldn't, it was it seemed his quiet way of rebelling.

And now the results were amazing, once he had dyed his hair yellow, on request from one of the journeyman mages, who had wanted to see what yellow hair would look like. When Sage had shown her the young mage had liked it so much she had dyed her own hair a subtle yellow. Soon after people caught onto the idea, if they wanted to see how a pattern or colour would look, they would sometimes ask Sage. And since it only lasted a week or so, he never minded, he also like the excuse to try something new.

"I am not stopping here long. I only came to be polite, the last two times I said no" Sage explained. He had stayed long enough to be polite that was true. As soon as he could he wanted to be back in the peace and quiet of the vale again. Firesong nodded, he knew it would be useless to argue, they had tried again and again to reassure him he was safe now. But so far he only felt safe when he was with other Hawkbrother or in the vale.

"I may join you in leaving soon" Firesong said. Darian looked to him shocked it was not like Firesong to leave early. "I have some work that I want to check on, before it gets to late"

Darian nodded, since he had become a master he had found that the level of work was far greater then before and needed to be checked twice as often. Darian was not worried about going home alone for he knew that somewhere around the keep, Keisha was about. Probably talking with the mother to be.

Darian tapped Firesong on the arm, the Adept turned to see what Darian wanted, Darian pointed to the far side of the drinks table, a few small faces peeped round. The children had come back, bringing brothers and sisters with them. Only the sight of Firesong and Darian had stopped them short. Laughing aloud Firesong stood, "I'll let you get back to keeping the children busy" Firesong said with a chuckle.  
Emboldened with the departure of Firesong and Darian, the children came forward again and gathered round Sage all requesting him to do some more tricks, more of what he had done before.

As they swarmed round him Darian and Firesong looked back. As Sage tried to detach children from his arms so he could do some tricks. He would have succeeded if it had not have been for Lady Eveanya, Val's daughter. She had obviously escaped the nursemaids and was going to make the most of her time away from them. She launched herself at Sages legs making him overbalance. Delighted they could now get him properly, they piled on Sage grabbing legs, arms and hands, keeping him down. Sage who was helpless with laughter, could do nothing to save himself.

With a smile Darian and Firesong left him to it. If the children had their way he would be theirs for most of the night. They drifted away,  
through the people, nodding to the other Hawkbrother that had come.  
Darian paused every now and then to check that Kauri was alright, and each time his owl told him he was.

After all food was eaten and most of the villagers had drifted away leaving only the hardened party goers. Firesong left Darian looking for Keisha, who had been spotted inside. Firesong collected Aya and went out through the little gate. He stood on the path breathing in the cool night air, behind him he could hear Faint laughter. He started on down the path. They had no mounts with them this night, as they had opted for walk through the woods and through the village. As he walked he became aware that he was not alone through Aya telling him something was wrong. Firesong stopped and scanned the shadows.  
"Who is there little one?" he asked Aya, Aya was scanning the shadows himself.

"Friend" Aya said finally. Although he could not see who it was he could tell it was a friend. Firesong relaxed slightly and carried on walking, he had no reason to doubt Aya's judgement. Finally to the side of him he could see a shadow was walking with him, and then a clink of beads. He smiled to himself, "Sage come and walk with me" He called softly and was rewarded with the shadow detaching itself from the rest of them and coming over. As it came closer it took the form of Sage.

"Sorry if I startled you, but you looked deep in thought I did not want to disturb you" Sage apologised.

Firesong shook his head and waved the apology down.  
"I was thinking but I don't mind being disturbed" he told Sage looking to him as he walked.

They walked in silence for a while, not that things were awkward, just quiet only because Sage had not mastered small talk really. If had nothing to say then he said nothing, he had found the thought funny that people thought of things to say to fill up spaces. They had found this useful on an occasion, people not used to him, found his silences uncomfortable and tried to fill them. This made finding out interesting small things easier.

"The children really like you, you know" Firesong told Sage.

Sage smiled shyly, "I like the children, they are so curious about everything, and they do not have any notion of the social things there parents have. They are uncomplicated, and they have a refreshing sense of logic" he said. It was true, all in the vale had seen it, Sage was wonderful with all the children of the Vale, human and gryphons. And more importantly they liked him. Parents felt that their children were safe with him. Children loved it when he could play.

Soon enough they were back at the entrance to the Vale and they walked in they were greeted with the warm breeze that kept the weather at a near constant temperature. Sage bid Firesong and Aya good night and left them to walk the path alone. Sage turned and walked along another path, the one that led to his home.

After the Hertasi had found out that Sage was staying the had made sure he had his own house. They had made him a ground ekele much like Darian and Keishas was. It had a bathing room, a bedroom and a main room. It was simpler then Darians but Sage had told them it was fine for him, he could want for nothing better. Sage also loved colours,  
any kind of coloured things caught his attention, as he walked into his little home, he had to duck for all the things hanging from the ceiling. dream catchers, sun catchers and anything else that had caught his eye.

In the bedroom, there was no bed in the conventional sense, he had cushions, like the ones the gryphons had, all around in all colours,  
textures and fabrics. Also in this room he had many patchwork blankets, thrown here and there. Most of the things in this room he had traded for. Making flowers grow and helping Steelmind's clients with flower growing and healing flowers, they had given him these things. And he loved them. His love of bright and more often then not clashing colours had been the cause for much amusement among the Hertasi. Finally a youngish female called Llayner adopted Sage. She made sure that he went out in things that matched at least. She also had an endless battle with all the things that cluttered his home, she was always having to find ways to make his Ekele looking less cluttered. Sage in turn knew this and he told Llayner nearly every time he saw her how grateful he was for her help.

Sage walked into his bedroom, he pulled off all the beads on his arms and sighed with bliss as the weight was lifted. He dropped them onto a table near the door. He felt to tired for a bath tonight. He had spent most of the night trying to sort out all the other peoples emotions he could feel. He had mastered most of the shields that Darian had shown him, but sometimes that many people with such loud thoughts overwhelmed him.

That's one reason why he liked the Vales so much. People here,  
shielded their thoughts. It was much more peaceful here. He sighed as he changed into sleeping clothes. Pretty much the same as he wore already, just simpler and undyed. Grabbing a blanket that was laying on the floor he threw himself into the cushions and contemplated sleep.

He thought about sleep with dreams, nice dreams. Not the nightmares,  
that he normally suffered from. He awoke most mornings feeling as though he had run miles. In truth he was running in his sleep, always running from his masters. Trying to get away but never yet managing to. Silverfox had told him it was a sign he wanted to be free of his past. And when he felt free these dreams would stop. He had to face his fears. That was easier said then done. He knew he was going to have another bad night.

He rolled over on to his stomach and scrabbled around among the pillows for a while before finding a bottle of the sleep medicine that Nightwind had given him. Only for use in extreme cases. Well this was extreme he thought to himself, three weeks of constant nightmare filled sleep. He wanted to sleep with out nightmares. He wanted to wake up with out trying to muffle his screams lest he bring anyone running to see what was wrong. He opened the smallish bottle and drank the lot. It tasted horrible. He just had time to settle back down before it hit him. He sank back into blissful darkness.


	6. Of Sleeping and Sheilds

(many thanks for the reviews. I love them, I need them. Thank you. Casus Fere I am sorry about the slight date lines and age lines being slightly wrong I have number trouble but hey, its close enough and it works with the story. And once again a very big thank you to Tessabe. 

Sage woke from his sleep, someone was shaking him. He opened his eyes.  
It took him a few moments to realize that the person shaking him was in fact Keisha. She looked worried. As he sat up, she moved away. He felt groggy, his head was swimming. His mouth tasted sour. Keisha sat back and reached for a bottle and a cup, she poured something clear from the bottle in to the cup. She gave it to him. He took the cup and drank what was in it out of habit more then anything else. This drink didn't taste to bad, more sickly sweet then bitter.  
"If you were human, you would be dead by now" She told him frankly with a frown.

As his eyes came into better focus, he aware of Llayner standing in the doorway watching with nervous interest.  
"What possessed you to drink all that sleep mix?" She demanded.

Keisha felt her initial fear ebbing. When Llayner had come running to tell her that she could not wake Sage. She had been worried, She had tried everything to wake him. It was only by chance that she had happened on a bottle, an empty bottle. After a careful sniff and an even more cautious taste, she discovered it was the sleep mix that Nightwind made. Deducing from what Llayner had said about seeing him with a full bottle a few days before. She was able to send the Hertasi for the wake up potion. She had fed him most of the bottle and had to watch for a few breathless minutes before he begin to show signs of waking. Now he was awake, her fear gave way to anger. How, Why? had he done something so stupid. As to drink the whole bottle in one go.

Sage looked up into her angry eyes. He looked from her to the Hertasi and back again. He couldn't meet Keishas eyes. He knew drinking the sleep mix would knock him about until mid morning, but he had not figured that Llayner would try to wake him before then. He had been hoping to wake himself and no-one would be any the wiser. But evidently something had happened to change that plan.  
He looked down at the discarded blanket, "I only wanted to sleep" he started.

"Then why didn't you?" she interrupted.

"I wanted to sleep with out dreams, with out nightmares. Nightwind gave that mix to me, because I told her I had trouble sleeping sometimes. she said I was to only have a little every now and then. but it didn't work I still dreamed" He told Keisha, still not meeting her gaze. He had tried the mix a few days ago, he had woken screaming into the cushions. The mix had dulled the nightmares but not stopped them.

"I did not mean to cause any worry" He looked up to meet her eyes. she saw the urgency in them. "Please do not tell anyone, I will not drink so much again please I promise"

Keisha was about to say something, but she caught the undertone in Sages voice. She could feel that he would not do that again, but she had the feeling that he must have been desperate to do something so stupid, she relented.

"I won't tell anyone, but if you ever do that again, I will have to tell" Sage nodded silently. Something caught her attention. Llayner was waving trying to get her attention with out alerting Sage.

Keisha sighed. What she had said was true, if he had been human he would have been dead by now. He was very lucky. She thought about warning Nightwind, but it appeared to be a mistake, one he wouldn't be repeating. She gathered her stuff and left Sages bedroom, letting the beaded curtain that hung across the door fall back into place. She walked out into the main room. Llayner was waiting for her there. She motioned for her to come outside. When outside, and away from Sages hearing the little Hertasi turned to her.

"Please don't be angry with him, Keisha. He had terrible nightmares, I have heard him, crying out in his sleeping, begging to be left alone,  
many nights this has happened. This was almost certainly an attempt to avoid those nightmares. He has tried many other ways but none have worked. When I came to get you I did not know what he had done until you found the bottle. I swear I would not have let him do it." Llayner said. "Only Silverfox and us Hertasi know of his dreams"

Keisha laid her hand on Llayner arm. "Don't worry, I will not tell Nightwind" Keisha said. She paused for a second. "But, if he ever wants to sleep again send him to me, He may not be able to die, but I don't know what too much of the the medicine will do to him" she added with an after thought.  
Llayner nodded. her keen eyes scanning Keishas. "I will watch him better now" she promised. Keisha suddenly understood what was wrong.  
Llayner thought it was her fault.

"It was not your fault, you could not have known unless he told you. I got the feeling he wants no-one to know about his nightmares. You said yourself only the Hertasi and Silverfox know. He is trying to deal with them himself" Keisha said with sincerity.

The little lizard looked doubtful but she nodded. Keisha glanced back inside, when she looked back the Hertasi had vanished. Suppressing another sigh she went back to her ekele to let Darian know nothing was wrong. He too had been wakened when Llayner had come rushing in.  
As she walked into the ekele she shared with Darian, she could see small signs that he was awake and about.

"Is every thing alright" Darien's disembodied voice called from the bathing room.

Keisha walked though to the bathing room, dropping her emergency bag on a low table by the door. She leaned on the door frame and watched her lover. Darian was finishing off his hair, in the mirror. He had braided it and added a few of Kauris tail feathers. Nothing so elaborate as some of the other Hawkbrothers but still he looked good.

She was glad that she had moved into the Vale permanently as the Hawkbrothers main healer. She was also glad that Shandi had talked with the leaders of the Healers collugium and convinced them that putting a healer in Errolds grove would be good. This meant that Keisha could stay with Darian, and work with the sanctuary healers,  
with out worrying about the people of the village getting sick or being neglected.

"Fine, fine" she said watching him. Running her hand through her own hair. It had been hastily tied back when Llayner had called for her.  
She had grabbed a headband and a leather tie and thrown it up. She pulled off the headband and took out the tie. Shaking her hair out, she ran her fingers through it again, tugging out the knots that had formed. Darian tossed her a hair comb and smiled at her through the mirror, she returned the smile and set about making her hair look decent. She hurried as quickly as she could. She'd had no breakfast and was now feeling grouchy and very hungry.

Darian watched his beloved through the mirror, she was combing her hair with a single minded determination. He knew better then to try and get more then a few words out of her until she had eaten. He smiled to himself, then turned to face her. Finally when her hair was sorted to her satisfaction, she threw the brush onto the shelf and turned to the door way. "Right let's go eat" she said, already halfway out the door.

After Keisha had gone. Sage cursed himself in as many different languages he could think of. and that was quite a few. he couldn't believe he had been so stupid. He had caused Keisha and Llayner to worry about him. it was something he shouldn't have done. He still had no idea why Llayner had come to wake him. Most of the Hawkbrothers, those who weren't scouts were still sleeping after the festival last night. With a sigh he reflected to ask her when he next saw her.

It wasn't like the Hertasi to not tell someone why they come for them or even woken them up. With a sigh he supposed she must have forgotton in the excitement, he would find out soon enough what. He got off the cushions and threw the blankets back onto them. He hunted around in a clothes chest for a moments, before pulling out clean clothes. A pair of loose, light brown trews and a light brown tunic. He threw the sleeping clothes into the Cushions. Pushing his door curtain out of the way, he walked out into the main room. He looked at his reflection in the mirror. His hair was now back to Silver again, he decided that he would leave it silver for now. and change it again later. it had not been silver for a while. it would be a nice change.

Sage hunted around in the main room for a while before he found the bag with his exercise balls in them. Picking up the bag, he ducked back into the bedroom. He collected his beads and slid them onto his arms, then he went outside. He would do his exercises in a nice clearing. It was a nice morning and he wanted to be outside. Sage walked along path for a while towards the cliffs. until he found a clearing, it was sheltered by vines on three sides the other side was open facing the lake. Down below across the lake he could just make out the form of Nightwind tending to Kel.

Sage sat down, on the grass and took the balls out of the bag. he started on the exercises that Keisha had shown him all that time ago.  
he closed his eyes and slowly he worked his way through the balls.  
A mediative state, it was one of the ways for him to relax and make sure that all his shields were in place, and he had a fair few shields. Most of them were to stop his magic from affecting people, a few of his shields were to stop him feeling other peoples emotions.

Nightwind and Herald Shandi had shown him them, between them they had been able to come up with some strong shields. And after he had learned how to do them, his own power made them virtually unbreakable by anyone but him He contemplated how well he could move his arms, he could still only lift fifth heaviest ball with his left hand. it had never gotten any better than that, the right hand however could lift all of the balls.

Still he resolved to himself, it may have been limited movement, but it was movement. It was better than it might have been had he not come here. Keisha and Firesong had told him that the only way for the movement to be as good as it used to be would be to break all the bones again and reset them. But they warned it would hurt and it would take a long time. So he had opted for his arm and hands to stay as they were.

A step behind him made him 'wake up' fully, he became aware then that someone was behind him, waiting for him to notice them. He didn't open his eyes, but he called out. "It is all right, I have sensed you"  
he said softly. Soft footfalls followed a faint swishing of the vines being moved and then falling back into place. He opened his eyes and saw Silverfox, he gestured for the Kestra'chern to sit. "Good morning to you" Sage said cheerfully.

Silverfox sat down on the grass with Sage. It was clear he had been up for sometime,he was looking as well groomed as ever. Today he was dressed in a form fitting tunic of sky blue with fitted trews in a slighted darker blue. His boots were the same color as the trews, and over that he was a untied robe of swirling shades of blue. His long dark hair was bound in a single braid hung over his shoulder.

Silverfox watched Sage with a professional interest and keenness, the same keenness he used when watching any of his clients. He could also see the limited movement that Sage had. Only when Sage was finished and started to put the balls away, did Silverfox start talking. This talking was something they had tried to do at least once everyday. It was not always about Sage it was about anything and everything. The Kestra'chern as well as most of the people in this Vale were helping him to appear more normal, to understand the things he couldn't.

"How have you been sleeping" Silverfox asked, he watched the boys reaction intently, how people did or didn't react to a question could tell a lot more then what they actually said.  
Sage looked away from Silverfox, he couldn't meet the mans gaze for several minutes.

"Still not good. I still have the nightmares." Sage looked up into Silverfox's face.

"I am trying to deal with the past, really I am, but it is so very hard. every time I think I have dealt with something, I get the nightmares again"

"It will take time, Sage, you must not rush these things. I know what you've told me is only some of what's happened. You have had a long life, it will take time" Silverfox reassured him. He could see Sages pain at not being able to rid himself of these dreams.

Sage nodded as he toyed with the ties of the bag. He was thinking of how to tell Silverfox what he had done. And that now Keisha knew he had bad dreams as well. He was sure that Llayner would have told her something, to stop her being so cross. Told her, that he woke crying like a child nearly every night.  
Silverfox could tell that something was wrong. "Sage what's happened"  
he asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Nothing apart from the fact that I made the most stupid mistake" then he went into the story of how he had gotten the sleep mix from Nightwind to help him sleep. And how he taken too much . He added that Llayner had to get Keisha to wake him up and now someone else knew how weak he was.

Silverfox had to think for a moment before replying. He had been in contact with people who had low esteem and no self value, but never so bad as Sage. Part of him really wanted know what on earth he done,  
what he had been through to make him hate himself so much, but he knew he couldn't ask, Sage would have to tell him when he was ready.

"As I have said before it will take time a long time. Maybe with the death of the person who you fear will it come. But I know one day it will happen. I mean look at your arm, I bet you never thought you would be able to use it again would you.?" he pointed out.

Sage looked at the arm and sighed, he knew that Silverfox was right,  
but it was so frustrating he wanted to be free now. Not in years to come when the people died. He didn't know if he could wait that long before he went mad. He nodded and looked back to Silverfox.

"I have a question for you, if I may" he asked quietly. Silverfox nodded. "I know you hear all the worries of the people here, and you keep them safe" He tapped his head. "But what happens when you hear to much. You can not tell anyone, for that speak to you do so in confidence." he paused for a second.  
Silverfox sat on the grass he didn't say anything he wasn't sure what Sage was getting at. Before too long Sage got to the point.

"Who heals you?" Sage asked finally. "You must hear some bad things,  
this is why I won't tell you everything, because you would not be able to talk about it with anyone. And I do not want that burden on you,  
however" he paused again this time looking into the distance. Long minutes passed.  
"I will tell you all soon, I can feel it, something is coming and I will have to tell you all.

Silverfox was about to say something but loud talking stopped him, two young children ran into the clearing giggling as they ran. They stopped when they saw Silverfox.

"Oh sorry, we didn't think anyone would be here" The older of the two said and they started to back away.

Silverfox looked back round to see if Sage minded the interruption.  
But the clearing was empty again except for him and the children. Sage had gone.

"No its alright you stay I was leaving anyway" Silverfox told them with a smile. As he heaved himself to his feet. And left the children to play. What Sage had said, had given him cause to think. It was true. Who could he talk to about what he heard. True he talked to Firesong, but sometimes. It would be good just to talk without having to hide names and people. At least he had come closer to knowing why Sage wouldn't tell him of his past.

If he couldn't deal with it himself. Then how would he expect some else to. It was the last thing that he had said that had worried him,  
Sage had said something was coming, something soon. That he decided,  
he would tell Firesong.

After Sage had left the clearing and taken his things back to his Ekele he went for a walk down the paths that led to the Kyree caves. After several minutes of waiting outside them one came out to see what he wanted. It wasn't that often that one of the Hawkbrothers came down to the caves.

_"May I help you?"_ came the quiet mind voice. Sage kneeled down regardless of the mud,

_"Yes if you please I wish to know about history_" He asked with the politest mind voice he could manage.  
The Kyree nodded once then turned. "_If you can bear it come inside a little way, there is a large cavern just inside, we can talk there_"

with that the Kyree turned and trotted back inside. Sage rose and followed. Once inside he sat down on the cool floor, waiting whilst the Kyree he had spoke to went to talk to some of the others,  
eventually three walked back to him. The one that Sage had asked and two others.  
"_You may call me Hashi_" the one in the middle said. "_The one of my right you may call Tulen and the one of my left you may call Leyn_" The Kyree sat down facing Sage, all the others sat further back listening quietly.  
"_You wish to know history, what would you like to know_?" Tulen asked.

Sage looked down for a moment and then back at them. "_I know this is a long hope, I doubt you will have much but the history I want to know is mine_" he looked into the Tulens eyes for long seconds before all three of them nodded.  
"_That we can do, we wondered when you would come to ask us"_

Several days later. There was a meeting called, most of the Hawkbrother council were there. Keisha, Sage, Silverfox, Nightwind, Kel and Herald Shandi were also present. It has been a long meeting and now it was almost over. For once there were no emergencys to deal with, just small issues between the Heralds and the Hawkbrothers, concerning the town and the keep.

Finally the main body of the council rose and declared the meeting over and then filled out of the council building. Only a hand full remained talking about small things.

Herald Shandi was one of the few to remain behind. She edged her way over to where Silverfox, Sage and Nightwind were talking. She had something that she wanted to ask Silverfox. Before she could, Firesong drew Silverfox into an friendly argument between him and Darian. With a sigh Shandi sat down next to the now free Nightwind and Sage.

"care to share" Nightwind asked after seeing Shandi's expression.  
Shandi shrugged.

"Can Silverfox tell me the meaning of dreams?" she asked. "It sounds silly but I have been dreaming things that I don't think are right"

Nightwind looked at her oddly as Shandi described some of the dreams.  
"People you don't know, places you have never been" Nightwind interrupted after Shandi had finished. Shandi nodded puzzled.

"How do you know about them?" She asked. Wondering how anyone else could be having the same dreams as she.

"I don't get them all the time, just sometimes. The feeling of trying to run. But getting no where" Nightwind went on. Shandi was nodding in agreement. Un-noticed Sage was sitting on the table next to them listening to what they were saying about the dreams. If possible he looked even paler. He looked from one to the other. He couldn't believe what they were describing. He didn't think it was possible.

"You do not need ask Silverfox" Sage said quietly making them both start slightly. They had forgotten he was there, he had been so quiet.

"Why?" Demanded Shandi her hands on her hips. "I am getting strange dreams as is Nightwind, I want to know what they mean"

"I can tell you, you do not need Silverfox. Please come with me" he slid off the table and motioned to the doorway. "I can explain and I can help" Shandi and Nightwind both rose from there chairs and followed him. Nightwind cast a puzzled glance to Shandi, How could Sage know about the dreams. He had been acting very strange these last few days.

They walked along the paths that led away from the council building and up towards Sage's Ekele. He paused at the door way to make sure that they were following him. Happy that they were he entered his home. Nightwind walked in straight away. Shandi hesitated then went inside. All of them had to duck to avoid being hit by the many things hanging from the ceiling. He motioned for them to sit down. There were only two stool like chairs Nightwind took one and Shandi took the other. Sage remained standing for a moment. Before turning his back on them.

"The dreams that you are having, are not your own. You know that" Sage said softly turning back round the face them.  
Nightwind and Shandi nodded. "They are my dreams" he said looking into their eyes. "I have shields, so very many shields. This you know. Most of my shields are to stop my magic from effecting people and a few of them are to stop people affecting me. You both know that I have empathy"

They nodded again. "Well I thought the shields I had to stop people seeing my mind worked. But it would appear that they do not work so well when I am sleeping" Shandi and Nightwind looked at one another. This was hard to believe the dreams were his. They were so real.

"The dreams what are they?" Nightwind asked. Now that she knew where the dreams were coming from they were not so unnerving.

Sage eyes flickered briefly. "They are of the lands across the sea.  
Where I have been for all this time" he said softly before turning his back on them and hunting for something on a very cluttered table.

Shandi looked round Sages home. She wondered how on earth anyone could live a house like this it was cluttered with odds and ends. It appeared that if anything took his interest he added it to his collection. Cluttered as it was, it did give for some interesting things to look at. Then she hit on something.

"Nightwind and I are the only empaths in this Vale, is that why we are the only ones who saw your dreams" Shandi asked to Sages back. He was still looking for something.

"That I do not rightly know it could be the fact that I have worked closely with you, you have after all helped me with my shields in the first place. Or it could be that when we are sleeping the shields are slightly weaker than normal, but..." he broke off and turned to face them. Holding two bead bracelets one in each hand. He offered one to Shandi and one to Nightwind. Shandi's was white and Nightwinds was blue/black.

"These bracelets are shields. It was something I have been working on,  
in case my magic got out of control. They are to protect people. Hopefully they will stop you from dreaming my dreams" he said with a smile.

Nightwind could see that both the bracelets shimmered with mage energies. Carefully she put her on. Sage vanished. To all her senses he vanished. She could see him with her eyes, but not with mage sight or empathy he was not there. She glanced at Shandi. The look on the girls face said she was feeling something similar.

"Well?" Came the question "What happened"

"I can't feel you. With either magesight or empathy" Nightwind confirmed. "Nothing, it's like you are not there"

"Me too" agreed Shandi. "You're there, but not. It feels funny"

Sage smiled. "They are working then. I have made them to block you from any of my magic. Hopefully they should not block your gifts, or seeing anything other than me. If they do, tell me and I will change them"

Nightwind rose from the chair. Examining her bracelet. It was amazing that he had managed to make a shield into something so small. She couldn't think of it being done before.  
"If you don't mind I would like to show Snowfire and Firesong. I think they would be interested to see what you have done"  
Sage nodded happily and Nightwind left looking at her new ornament.

That left Shandi. She felt a little awkward around Sage. She always had. It was because he leaked so much power. But now she couldn't feel him.  
"If you don't mind, Karles and Anda would also like to see this. They had never heard of something like this being done before" She asked shyly.  
Sage nodded, leaving Shandi free to go.

When he was alone, he sat on the edge of his table. He sighed a happy sigh, the Kyree had told him so much that was useful to him. About himself and his purpose. Things he hadn't expected them to know. About what he should be able to do. Shielding, was one of the things he knew he should be able to do.  
Shielding things, places, people anything. And now he had learnt how.  
They had told him something else. Something which had given him hope.

He had always known he was a channel. And that he could channel anything. Human lives. Life energy, that he had done. Or rather had been made to. But the Kyree had told him he could channel anything.  
Pain, fear, happiness, he could take away peoples pain just with a touch. He looked out of his window. He wanted to try that, to take away pain. The others didn't know yet. He hadn't told them. But soon he would. He would have to.

((there you go readers I hope you liked this chapter. If you did and you can find it in your hearts press that little purple button down their. Go on yes press it and tell me what you think. I can only make it better for you to read if I know what you are thinking.  
Note. There may be a slight longer delay before the next chapet but I will try my best to have it done before next week end))


	7. The story of my life

_((here you go people, the chapter you have been waiting for. Some of the words i have used are of Spanish/Italian making. and a couple are my own. so sit back read and enjoy))_

_Hands grabbed him, forcing him down. Making him kneel. He tried to look away but another pair of hands, grabbed his chin forcing him to look. He closed his eyes. He would not see. He would not see.._  
_He felt the hands let go, only to deliver a stinging back handed blow.  
Someone talking to him. Saying he will watch. Another back hand blow.  
He opened his eyes. Suddenly wishing he hadn't…. To late. He had seen.  
Death all around him, death was shouting, crying, so many voices calling to him. Invading his head. He screamed trying to block out the noise with his own. Trying to smother the sounds but the hands would not let go on him. Making him listen._

_Sage was kneeling amongst the muddy ruts of this slaughter. Or rather he was being held down. He was stripped to the waist and bleeding from more than a dozen cuts on his chest, arms and back. every time he tried to block the energies of the poor people out there, another cut was made. Pain made him loose his grip on his shields. That voice was still talking to him. Him still screaming from the pain. He could feel the people dying. His own pain at being cut. The pain of the life energies from the dying going into him. Finally the killing stopped.  
The death faded._

_He wanted the blackness of oblivion to take him. The peace….  
The hands wouldn't let him. They pulled him up. Making him stand.  
Although if they had let go he would have fallen to the ground. They dragged him away from the bodies towards a tent set further back, away from the death and killing.__Dragging him inside and then they letting go. Letting him fall into a graceless heap on the floor. He pulled himself up to his knees, his hands still trying to block out the screaming, the voices in his head.  
It Didn't work. He could still hear the dying, he could still see them._

Sage awoke crying into the pillows. His throat hurt, a sign he had been screaming again. He wiped his face with the back of his hand and rolled over. This was the fourth dream in a row like this. More real then the one before. All about the things he had been trying to forget. It had been as though he was reliving his past. When he had rolled onto his back, he froze suddenly. Something told him he was still dreaming. Gods he hoped he was, this was not his bed. Not his but he knew whose.

_He was not alone. A dark figured stood at the other end of the room watching him. The figure shrouded in the shadows.  
"My pet, you have managed to evade me this far, but surely you know you can't hide from me forever. Your place is by my side, at my feet. I am coming and I will find you. And when I do. Don't think that anyone will keep you from me. Not when I tell them what you are"_

_  
"No" Sage shouted. "No, I will not. Never again, no" _

_"We shall see!" the amused reply came and then the figure vanished._

Sage sat up with a cry of denial still forming on his lips. He looked round the room hastily. He was breathing hard as though he had been running a marathon. He clutched the pillows round him. This was his room. This was his home. This was the Vale. He moved back so he was leaning on the wall. He hugged the blankets close, for comfort. That last dream had been no dream at all.  
It had been him. His master. He was close he had to be, for him to be able to get into his head he must be close. At least halfway across Hardorn, if not closer. And the only reason he could reach him was because Sage was sleeping and his shields were ever so slightly weaker and because his Master still retained some of the powers he had taken off Sage.

Gradually his breathing slowed down. He relaxed slightly. He was in the Vale he was safe. But at the back of his mind he knew his master had been right. They wouldn't want to keep him around when they found the truth and he could only bluff them for so long. Time was running out.

He rose from the bed and stumbled outside to the main room. The pale light of day was gracing the sky to the east. The main room was a mess, as was the bathing room. But still outside looked un-touched. So his shields had held then. Outside his mage powers would not effect anything but inside it looked as though a hurricane had come through.

He knew this would happen. His nightmares had been getting worse.  
Things had started to happen in his sleep. He moved things, when he threw things in his nightmares he threw things in his Ekele. He was glad he had set the shield into the floor a few inches inside the Ekele. He Didn't think the walls would hold against magic. He leant on table. With a tired wave he set the room back to rights. Things picked themselves up and went back to where they should be.  
This wasn't the first time he had, had to use magic to tidy up and he knew it wouldn't be the last the way things were going.

When all the room was to rights. He dismissed his shields and walked out into the doorway. He stood watching the sun rise, taking in the calm and peacefulness of the morning. He stood just outside. Not caring that if anyone walked past they would see him in his sleeping clothes. The clothes in question felt wonderfully light in the cool breeze of the morning. Thoughts racing through his head. What should he do. Should he stay? or should he leave? Should he tell or not?

Finally he made a decision and turning, he ducked back inside hastily threw on some cleaner clothes and left his home, he hadn't bothered with brushing his hair, or even his beads, something he hadn't been without since he first came to the Vale.

He walked down the paths until he reached the very limits of the Vale, he could see it shimmering in front of him. With out a backward glance he stepped through. He had to pause for a long moment. It was colder outside the Vale than within. He wasn't wearing anything substantial, and he was bare foot.  
When the cold had ceased to bother him, he set off again. Not paying attention to the few Dyheli that were around. He left the path and fled into the forest.

Darian came through the door of the council Ekele at a near run, he had flown up the steps. He slid to a neat stop and looked round at the waiting people. His face showing disappointment and regret. He shook his head as he told them his news.

"I am Sorry, Kauri can't find him. He's vanished. I've spoken to Llayner again and she said he left early this morning. He had a nightmare. One of the worst ones yet apparently. Llayner said this time he was talking, no shouting at someone. But not in any language she knew of" Darian looked round at them. Looking into their faces.

"He got dressed and then went, some of the Dyheli saw him fleeing into the forest north of here. In the direction I found him" Darian finished.  
The gathered people looked grim. It was getting dark and Sage had been missing for most of the day. No-one had seen hide nor hair of him since Kel and some of the Gryphons had been flying over the forest. And they could not see any sign of him. They guessed he was hiding from them.

The people in this room were mainly the council of the Vale, Keisha,  
Silverfox and Nightwind were also there. Kel would be soon, he was flying another relay over the forest. The gryphons had been searching the forest in all directions when ever a break in the rain appeared.

"But why would he leave, like this. I thought he was happy here. I thought he had found his peace" Keisha said desperately. She couldn't think why he had gone.

In an unconscious gesture most of the gathered people looked to Silverfox. He was leaning on the wall at the far side of the room, mainly listening and saying little. His face was troubled.

"Please anything you can tell us" Keisha pleaded. "I know you can't tell all that he said to you" Silverfox thought for a moment.

"Well he has said nothing about wanting to leave. Or feeling he had to leave" Silverfox paused for second. "However, he did mention something about having to tell us"

"Tell us what?" half the room asked in unison. But Silverfox didn't answer. He wasn't looking at them, he was looking into the open porch like platform on which Kel was landing. He hurried inside eager to avoid the rain that was starting to fall. they all looked to him hopefully. But the Gryhpon just shook his head sadly, as he shook himself gently to settle his feathers.

"I could find no trace of him. I looked all over" Kel looked genuinely upset. He glanced over his shoulder and eyed the rain drops with dispassion.  
The others looked back to Silverfox, hoping he would tell them what he had about to tell them before Kels arrival disrupted them.

"When he was talking to me recently, all was fine until he suddenly stopped, he was looking to the future, he said he would have to tell us something, there was something coming and he would have to tell us soon" Silverfox looked round the group. All eyes were on him.

"What was coming, Who was coming? Did he say?" Starfall asked. Silverfox shook his head, regret in his face. "We were disrupted before he would tell me" The people in the room sagged. Normally they would not have been this worried about someone taking time for themselves. But this was Sage. He never went out of the Vale unless he had to. He knew that no-one could hurt him in the Vale. And when he did go out of the Vale it was always in the presence of one of the Hawkbrothers or Kel. The room as a whole reflected on this.

"He had seemed a little more distracted of late. Something was playing on his mind" Silverfox added.

Outside the rain began to fall heavier. A sign that a storm was setting in, it looked as though it would last the night. Keisha went to look out of the window, she shivered even though it was warm inside the building. Anyone in the forest would be cold and soaking with in minutes.

She was aware of the others talking behind her. Asking Silverfox more questions. She could hear him. Telling only small things. Things that everyone, could have picked up on if they had of looked.

Keisha turned away from the window to face the room. They were being silly she told herself sternly. It wasn't as Sage didn't know how to take care of himself in forest.

"You should not worry" A quiet voice, said from the wall a little way from the door. As one the room turned, even those who had been close to the door. And for the most part the people in the roomjumped. No one had heard anyone else come into the room. Sage was standing there, soaked to the skin,  
muddy and shivering.

Keisha started towards him but he shook his head. "I am fine. I am sorry for worrying you all. It is just, I wanted to think. To make a decision and I did not want to open my eyes and see this place. It would effect what I chose"

Keisha stopped in her tracks, from the tone of his voice Sage truly was sorry for worrying them. And it sounded as though he had more to say.

"I have heard what you said, before I came in" he shrugged "I did not want to interrupt anything important" he looked round at them. He could see that they looked relieved that he had come back. He really had no idea that they were, that worried out him.  
He walked slowly round the room looking at each person in turn, his quiet looking, was un-nerving. He left a trail of muddy rain water behind him. Finally he came to stop by Silverfox.

"I thank you for you silence, I know it must have been hard to bear alone. But now, I am going to change that." He said quietly to the Kestra'chern.

"I thank you for trusting me" Silverfox returned with a bow of his head. Sage turned back to the room. "You may want to sit down. I have a feeling this will take a while" he said the room as a whole. They looked round for seats and soon after a little shifting of furniture around they were all settled. All apart from Sage who remained standing near the porch that Kel had come in on.

"I think that the time has come for you to know. To know, what's coming for me, who is coming for me." Sage said quietly. He turned his back to the room for a second, and anyone with the slightest sense of magic, could feel and see Sages shield spring up round the room.

Firesong and Starfall looked to each other but said nothing. If Sage had put a shield up it would be for a reason he would reveal soon enough.  
"I have been looking, seeing which future will be. All of the bad.  
Most of them the same. I leave the Vale in the morning and never go back. He catches me, takes me back, life goes back to how it was"  
Sage related what he had seen with a toneless inflection.

"Itell you some, I still leave, he still finds me. They all go this way. I was going to give up. Then I thought, and I saw, the one future that is the most unlikely. But the best. The one I would not do, because I would have to tell you everything" He turned to face them again. His face expressionless.

"But then, even if you did not want me to stay, the future would not change, so I have nothing to lose. If you want me, then everything changes"  
He traced a random pattern on his sleeve before talking again.

"I think I will tell you all, but compacted, I think. It would take to long for all small details"  
He looked at them all one last time, and then he hung his head,  
looking away. If he looked at them, he would not be able to tell them.  
He took a breath and started his story.

"After the tower fell, mercenaries found me wandering. I had no idea were I was meant to go. They found me and took me with them. Across the land. To the east, and onwards to the sea. From there they found a ship sailing to new lands, it was the only ship heading that way. The sea trip lasted for six weeks. During the voyage the mercenaries, took ill. They could not keep water down and they died. The sailors buried them at sea. Finally the ship arrived at what would be my home for the next couple of thousand years or so. De Amarda"

Sage carried on tracing his pattern on his sleeve. He couldn't bring himself to look at them.

"I spent the next fifty or so years in one of the back water Islands.  
I helped the village people, I was a seer for them. I told the that I was of a race of people from far across the sea. We always looked young. That way they did not ask to much about why I did not grow old.  
Finally after two generations, I told them that I would have to go back home to die. They let me go. And I went on to another island. The name De Amarda, means the islands. Each island is the size of Valdemar or bigger." Sage explained.

"I spent my years going from island to island. Explaining away my looks with the same excuse, that all my people looked the same. I never told anyone I was the only one. It stayed that way for a long time. I worked in some interesting places." Sages smile left no-one wondering exactly what he meant by interesting places. "But that was my choice, it kept me out of the way of the guards" a slight shudder from Sage left them wondering just what made him glad the guards didn't find him.

"I was trained as a priest in twenty different religions" Sage smiled.  
Each one was as different and yet similar as the last. He reflected to himself. Aware that the others were listening with baited breath he went on.  
"And then, then I left the last temple, when all who had joined with me died. I told them I was going on a pilgrimage to the mountains. I went to the capital island. The island where the Il signore delle isole, lived"

"Who?" Starfall asked quietly.

Sage looked up for a second startled his eyes puzzled, and then he remembered that they would not know what that meant. He thought for a moment, thinking for the words."The lord of the Isles" he said finally. And simply. He looked away again.

Keisha, now understood. Why Sage had put the shield up round the room,  
as he was talking he was showing them images of what he seen, what he had done. So as well as hearing the tale, all in the room were seeing it. As he told them about the Lord of the isles. An image came into all there minds. An elderly man with greying hair. Surely this couldn't be the man that Sage was so afraid of.

"When I got there, it was discovered that I was good with a sword. The guards saw me one day, and I was taken for training in the palace. I was to become one of the Kitara. The Elite fighters. Known as the membro delle ombre." he paused again thinking of the words. As he paused he turned away from them all.

"It means Member of the shadows. The best of all sword fighters. I was told to be one of them was a great honour. We guarded the Lord and his family"  
An image came to mind, it showed a group of people dressed all in black. They were stood in a line, stood to attention. Six in all.  
As one, on command they drew their swords. Only these swords were no ordinary swords. They were made of black steel. With black braid around the handles. As the room "looked" at the image. It became clear, one of the six, who was wearing a black bandana, was Sage.

"Yes I am the one with the Bandana" Sage said hearing the unvoiced question. From someone in the room.

"I spent ten relatively happy years as one of them. I was one of the best. It was against the law for anyone but us to have the black steel blades and wear the black braid on the sword." Sage explained. In truth he was stalling for time. Not wanting to go onto the last part of his story.

"Most of my life was happy. I was not a slave for all of my life, only the last sixty or so years. When the Lord died" The image of the old man with grey hair came back to mind.

"He named that his son would take over from him. You see, Lordship is not hereditary, it can go to someone else, but most of the time it did. And this time was no exception. More to the pity his son was named the new Il signore delle isole." Sage hung his head. His back to the room still.

"This is where, my story takes a turn for the worse. The new lord came into his power. And he made full use of the fact that he was the law.  
He could do nothing wrong. Nothing or no-one would be able to oppose him. I suppose you could call him a tyrant."

An image came to mind. And all at once. Everyone in the room could see why Sage would be afraid of him. The image showed a man dressed in blood red clothes, richly adorned with gold stitching. A malicious sneer graced an otherwise handsome face. The man looked to be fairly tall, with close cut dark hair and a trimmed beard. His eyes were dark green and showed no life or humour. It was like they looked straight through them.

Darian suppressed a shudder when he looked into those eyes. It wouldn't have mattered as Sage was not looking. But if he could send them images it meant that he would be able to feel what people are thinking.

"The new Lord had always had an eye for me, because I was different.  
But, he could do nothing when his father was alive. The rules in De Amarda, say that any free person can refuse advances on another. Lord or commoner. This son was spoilt though, he was not used to people saying no, so whenever I did, it did not go down well." Sage paused for a second gathering his courage to go on. The silence in the room was tangible, if someone drew a knife it would surely cut the air.  
The only sound to break the quiet was the hammering of the rain and the occasional rumble of thunder in the distance.

"So when his father died. One of his first acts was to announce that I was Sucio, unclean, unfit to fight. He ordered that his guards take me away.  
I spent months in his dungeons. Whilst he worked on me, making me less likely to refuse him. He discovered by accident what I could do.  
His guards were beating me, relentlessly, when on of them touched me,  
my shield faltered, I killed him with a single thought of power. When people die around me, I am a magnet for there energies. They are drawn to me." Sages voice had dropped, so very quiet but still everyone could hear him.

"The Son, was a educated man, he read books from across the sea, he read all kinds of books and he had found out about magic. But no-one in the De Armardas had magic. So when he saw that I did. A whole new way to be cruel opened up to him. He tried to make me kill for him. Kill with magic. I would not. I refused. Each time I did. He would do something else to me.Pain, always pain"

Sages voice went sad at his remembering. He had stopped the images. The others could now not see anything, they could only listen. No-one dared to move, no one wanted to break the flow of memories. Sad and as painful as it was. He was finally trusting them.

"Finally he declared that I would be his slave. That meant that he could do anything he wanted to me. Even if I refused. All the times I refused his advances, all the times I said no. he made me pay for it.  
He loved the fact he could take me when ever he wanted. Especially when he found out that nothing he did would kill me. If I had really displeased him, he would let his guards have me as well. " Sages smile went grim, even though no one could see it. They all picked it up in the tone of his voice.

"Then when he found out that pain would make me loose the control, on my already fragile shields. As you know from when I came here, it was an all or nothing shielding. He whenever he waged war on some peoples,  
or someone had displeased him, or for any reason he wanted someone killed he made sure I was there. And in pain. If I resisted they hurt me more, until I could not hold on. And then they would kill, the person, the armies and he would make me, take their life energies. He was even more pleased when he found out that he could then take the energies from me and use them for himself. He was much feared for his "God like powers" Sage went on.

Now all the others understood, the scars on his body, why he didn't like to show them and why he didn't like to be touched, and most of all why he was afraid of strange men.  
All he had learnt from the guards was to fear them, they brought pain.  
They gave pain to him, pain on the orders of this man, although Sage would not show them, they could all feel his anger and self hate at being used like this.

"In the end, I was always in pain, so much pain, that I would do whatever he asked just to make it stop. He got into my head" Sages voice dropped to a whisper "He broke me" came out in a strangled half sob. "that alone changes so many things. Mainly knowing that he did and he can. That is why I fear him so. He got into my head"

He paused once more trying to compose himself so he could go on.

"I am the most powerful thing in this world but that means nothing, he broke me, and for sixty odd years I have been made into his pet.  
Forced to take the life energies of the dead, so he could kill, forced to do whatever he wanted, the worst part of it was not being taken against my will, but the fact that I could feel the enjoyment that the others got out of it, many times I could feel it. And it is very hard to distinguish between what I felt and what they felt"

Silverfox, closed his eyes for a second, and mentally flinched at Sages use of the word Thing. So that was where some of the self hate that Sage had, had come from, being able to feel the enjoyment of the others as they hurt him.

"It wasn't your fault, you know you couldn't control what you felt then, you had not the training" Silverfox said. Firesong and many of the others nodded in agreement.

Sage simply nodded once. "I know that now" he whispered. He went still for a while his hands by his sides.

Then he continued, he tapped his head and slowly turned back to face them, his face in shadows, hiding the tears that rolled down his face.  
"I heard and felt each one of them die. No matter much I hurt, how much I screamed. I could still hear them dying, feel there pain at such violent deaths. They shout to me, begging for retribution, to be let go" he told them, his voice returning to a slightly more normal level.

"Why don't you?" Firesong asked quietly, the healing adept felt his heart go out to Sage, no wonder he hadn't wanted to learn how to hurt with magic. He had already known, had been made to.

Sage looked to him. "If I do before they have had their justice on My master, then they will fail and fall into limbo, they will never be at peace. At least if they are in me, they can harm no one else. It took me years before I learned to quiet them"

"Surely that would send someone mad" Keisha interjected before she had, had time to think before she spoke. "Sorry she blushed. But Sage was shaking his head.

"Do not be, it did make me mad. Much to my Masters enjoyment, it did drive me mad, every time someone else was killed it would throw me again. He took power from me, whether I wanted him to have it or not"

He looked to the other mages in the room, "I do not know if you know,  
but having power taken from you against your will, hurts a lot, its like part of you being pulled away"

He moved forward in the light, his arms wrapped round his waist hugging himself. He couldn't look at them, but they could all see his tears, and if they chose to they would be able to feel, how much this had cost him to tell them, to bare all for them to hear and see.

Also if anyone noted, which they probable didn't was the fact that as Sage was telling his story, his stammer had increased again, to something like it was before they had helped him over come it. A stammer which now only effected him, if he was tired or very emotional. The latter did not happen frequently. None the less, everyone in the room, understood what he said with out trouble.

"The nightmares, have been more than that recently. It has been him,  
in my head telling me that he is coming. I would guess he is around Hardorn, or closer. He is coming for his pet"

Sage sagged down with his back to wall, all his energy now failing him. He had finished his story. But before anyone could ask anything of Sage. Kel leapt to his feet his talons flexing his eyes flashing.

"I don't care what you have been made to do, you never wanted to do it did you?" the rather angry Gryhpon demanded. Sage wordlessly shook his head. Wondering where Kel was going with this.

"Well then, this lord may come for you. And he will leave without you.  
We all have a past. But you do not belong to anyone, or anything. The only thing you belong to is the Vales and any place you chose, you are a Wingbrother now and for always." Kel turned to face the room his eyes still flashing. It was known that Kel liked Sage, he still always thought of him as rather vulnerable. Even though Sage could level most of the Vale with a single thought.

"I will chase this lord and anyone with him, all the way to the ends of the earth before I let him take you away" Kel finished daring anyone in the room to say otherwise.

Sage realised that he must warn them why his Master was coming. He interrupted Kel to tell them.  
"He is bent on getting me back, for three main reasons." Sage held up three fingers - three on his left hand.

"One, because he found a way to use the power he took from me to keep himself young. By all accounts he should be nearly eighty, but he could and does pass for twenty or thirty. With out my power he will surely grow old fast and die. Something I do not think, he will allow. Two, because he had been taking my power for so long, he has a reputation as a warlord with "God like powers" it is the reason he has managed to rid himself of all enemies. And last but by no means least. No possession of his has a free will. He will be embarrassed and very angry that I managed to get away again. And stay away, the last two times he found me, I got no further then the ports. He does not like his pets to know freedom" He finished ticking off his fingers and lowered them. And looked into their faces.

"It will make him ruthless and he will spare no-one, he has had a long time of people doing his every whim and not refusing you" He warned the room. Starfall glanced round the room, and took in all of their expressions,  
he did not need to be an empath or a mind reader to know what everyone was thinking.

"I think I speak for everyone when I say this Sage, it is like Kel said, you are Wingbrother, and part of this Vale. You are, our friend. We will not hand you over willingly, if this Lord of the isles wants a fight we will give him one. Besides, he had one less weapon over you know"

Sage looked up at him from the floor, he peered at the elder over his knees, confusion on his teary face.

"We now know about you, mostly" Starfall added. "I am sure there are a few things you did not tell, but then we would ask no more of you. You have obviously overcome a lot to tell us what you have, and you can rest assured what you have told us will go no further then this room. We will only tell Breon only what he needs to know. We thank you for trusting us". Starfall finished.

The whole room started telling Sage that they would not let him go.  
This was too much for him, he began to weep openly. Tears running down his face unashamedly. The others let him be for a moment.

Then Keisha and Silverfox both shared a look and then they strode over to Sage and sat next to him. Silverfox placed a hand on Sages arm.

"Now your demons will be laid to rest" he said simply. Sage nodded simply, he sniffed a few times and got a control on himself again. He took a deep breath in and his shield fell. Drawing back into him.

"I can see why you did not want to say what happened to you, but I think you really are brave" Keisha added. She gestured to the room,  
all were talking animatedly saying how they would defend Sage. Kel was threatening to disembowel anything that even thought about trying to take Sage. Sage smiled through the last of his tears.

"I also have to thank you Healer Keisha" he said very quietly. So only Silverfox and Keisha could hear him. Keisha looked at him confused for a moment. Before Sage went on to explain.

"I know, you must have known something about what happened to me, that first time you healed me. You had to go in a healing trance. You could have said something and you never. For that I thank you." he bowed his head to her. Keisha blushed for a moment. "It was not for me to tell" was all she could say.

Firesong and Darian were the next to come over to Sage, both of them looked very sheepish. "Look Sage we're so sorry for trying to make you learn combat magic." Firesong said, although he had his mask on, his voice showed how sorry they were.

Sage stopped him with a shake of his head. He pulled himself to his feet. "You did not know, it was not your fault. Beside, I have something, good to add the this tale." that statement drew the attention of the room again.

"I went to talk to the Kyree the other day. They knew more about me,  
than I thought they would. I know that I was made to create shields.  
Any kind of shield I can make. I can shield anything, person, building or animal. I can shield against anything." he motioned to Nightwinds bracelet the one that shielded her against Sages dreams.

"And, I have found out, through pain, I can take life. I can channel death" Sage paused and then smiled he would not let that ruin what he had to say. "The Kyree told me, that I am a channel. This I always knew. But now I know, that I can channel pain, away from people. If someone is in pain I can take the pain, if only for a while, I can help them. I can help a dying person speak to their children, give them a little peace" The smile of Sages face grew. He looked to Keisha.

"I can not heal, but I can help. Finally I can help. I can do what I was made for. It is a good feeling"

This revelation, sent the room into more discussion, about all the people he could help. Sage stood back and watched, he couldn't believe it. With out even flinching they had accepted what he had told them.  
And then gone on to say that they would not abandon him.

Un-noticed he went to sit by the wall. All the talking had worn him out, he had spent most of the day, seeing into the immediate future,  
as he rested his head on the wall. He smiled one last smile to himself, he had already changed the future. He had told them the truth. His head lent on the wall, with the hum of the room around him.  
He fell asleep leaving the others to talk. He had done all he could and now he slipped into the first peaceful sleep he had, had in a long time.

((So there you go my readers. i am sorry it took so long to post, but i wanted it to be just right. and hopefully. this chapter should answer all those questions that you had about his past. so go on, press the lil button and review))


	8. Passing over

((sorry for the delay enjoy))

Sage sat atop the cliff, his knees drawn up to his chest and his head resting on his knees. He was watching the gryphons dive bombing each other. He watched with a contented smile, it had been almost a week since he had told them all about his past. And well, hardly anything had changed. They had been a little more careful around him and of course they had to tell Lord Breon and the Heralds Anda and Shandi. Only they told them the latter part though,  
only about who this person was that was coming for him. Then, Sage had made sure that something had leaked, to one of the village gossips which made sure that the whole village knew before sun down.

When he had gone to the village yesterday, there had been careful questions, and then an even more careful acceptance. This was because the village had been threatened by raiders some years before, and the raiders had in a sense enslaved the people. Darian had told him this quietly on the way back from the village.

The gryphons called to each other, bringing Sage back to the here and now. They dived down on each other, ducking their opponents into the water. Sage watched with a smile. When the gryphons had finished "Attacking" each other, they took to the air, their powerful wing beats stirring up the dust and grit around Sage, blowing his hair. He threw up his arm across his eyes to shield them from the grit and sand.

_A flash lit across his sight, he could see his Master standing in a large tent. Somewhere on the near to the shores of Lake Evendim That meant he was still a few weeks off. His master wouldn't rush, now he knew where his pet was. The tent walls were thick keeping back the light of the day. Lord Danak had just finished giving orders to a servant, who almost tripped over his own feet in his haste to be away from the lord. When the tent was empty Danak started to turn, he paused for a second and then kept on turning. A smile on his face._

_"So you keep coming back, I told you. You won't escape from me" Lord Danak said looking at where Sage's dream self was._

_"No, I only come to see where you are to warn others of your evil. I will never go back with you" Sage retorted. His mind voice distorted._

_The lord started to respond but the air rippled, "I am far stronger then you could ever image, I can do more than your mind could ever hope to understand, I am my own person. Your pet died the day I left the islands" Sage interrupted him. Something he had never dared to do before._

_Lord Danaks' handsome face twisted into a scowl._  
_"You are nothing but a insolent and disobedient little whore, who happened to have some magical qualities. And when I get you back, the past pain will seem like nothing, you will beg for death before the end, an end that won't come" The lord promised, his voice a hiss. His face twisted into an ugly sneer.  
"That will never happen. Now get out of my head" Sages mind and physical voice shouted, ringing in the quiet. And he had the satisfaction of seeing the lords confusion at Sage being able to cast him out._

Sage blinked and lowered his arm. He was back sitting on the cliff top. The gryphons had long since gone. He ran a hand through his hair,  
which was now dyed a startling array of greens and browns, much like the colours the scouts used, only brighter. He was alone, or so he thought. A soft step behind him made him turn with a start. He looked back to see Keisha standing on the path, faint lines of worry on her face already fading. With a smile he stood and walked to meet her.

They would be going down to the village, Sage had agreed to try and help one of the villagers, who had a painful and fatal disease. As he neared Keisha she spoke to him.

"Are you all right, I was calling you but you didn't answer, then you shouted something" She asked. Then she caught the look in his eyes.  
Her expression changed back to one of worry.

"It was him, wasn't it? In your head?" she questioned. She raised a hand to check him, but he shook his head and waved her hand away.

"It is nothing really. It is nothing that he has not been doing for the past two weeks, and will keep doing until he gets here. He is playing with me, letting me know that he is taking his time before he comes to claim what is his." A smile lit his face, a genuine smile, that reached his eyes.

"Besides, I just showed him, that if I do not want him in my head, I can throw him out." he looked away again for second. "The only controls he could ever use on me were that of physical pain and fear. Nothing magical, and those controls are easily overcome with people to help me." he finished with another smile.

Keisha studied his face for a moment before nodding in satisfaction,  
he was alright. She turned and lead the way back towards the path that would take them out of the Vale. As they walked Keisha filled him in, on the progress of the patient that they were going to see. As they entered the village the children crowded round Keisha, dancing round her. She still drew quite a crowd. The children thought her something exotic, a healer living with the Hawkbrothers. They walked through heading towards the house where the patient lived.

They reached a small house near to the middle of the village, its garden was unkempt and overgrown. Although it was with flowers Sage noted not weeds. The door was painted louder, brighter than the other houses. Keisha knocked on the door, it was answered by a rather young man, with sun burned skin and ginger hair. Freckles covered the young mans skin.

"Hello Kym" Keisha said brightly to the young trainee. Then she turn to Sage. "Sage, this is Healer Trainee Kym" she said knowing there was little chance that Sage would know who he was. Even if Kym would know who Sage was.

Kym said nothing but stepped back to allow them into the house. The house itself was clean if gloomy. Kym picked up a candle throwing light onto his clothes, he was wearing the pale greens of a trainee healer. He lead the way down a narrow corridor to a room at the back of the house. He knocked on the door, a frail voice bid them enter.

All three walked into the room. And there lying on bed was a lady swathed in blankets. Keisha and the trainee went to talk with her.

Sage hung back, he was feeling a little put out, that the trainee hadn't said so much as a hello to him. But then he was here for the lady not the trainee.  
Sage lowered his shields ever so slightly, before having to slam them up again quickly, the pain coming off the women on the bed was so great it threatened to swamp everything else that she was feeling.

Keisha turned and motioned to Sage to come forward. He did so quickly and quietly, his bare feet making no sound.  
He ignored the look the trainee gave him when he walked past. Kym looked at Sages bare feet and hair with scorn. He couldn't believe this young man, who didn't wear shoes, would be able to do, what two full healers could not. He could feel that this Sage had no healing powers whatsoever. He was more then sceptical about what he said he could do. But still he kept that to himself Sage knelt down by the side of the old women, she looked up at him.

"Those healers say you can do things that no healer has ever been able to do" She said hope glimmered in her eyes and then it passed, she was hopeful but it was clear she did not want to let it show in case it didn't work. Her voice sounded frail and shaky to Sage, she sounded like someone who found it hard to think about what she was saying.

Sage chose his words carefully "If you will let me I think I can" he said to her

"Think?" the old women had picked up on his words.

Sage bowed his head to her, "I have never tried anything like this before. I have the knowledge needed, I know what and how, but I have never tried to use my gift in this way before" he said before looking up into her eyes.

"If this works, I can take the pain from you until you die. It will make you feel better and give you chance to talk"

"And if it doesn't?"

"Then nothing will change, but at least if we try then you have the chance that it will work" he said.

The lady closed her eyes thinking and then she nodded. She opened them and looked to Kym, "Send a child to fetch my son, he is in the fields. If this is the only chance I have to talk then I will" she asked, her eyes closing in pain. Kym nodded and hurried to the door to do as she asked.

"Sage" Keisha started, but stopped when Sage turned to face her, the look in his eyes and on his face told her what she had been about to ask. He could do this, he would do this.

The old lady opened her eyes, and looked to Sage. "Sage, that's an unusual name for someone" She said.

Sage smiled at her, his hands hovering over hers, "I am an unusual person lady" He said. Before she could answer he went on "Are you ready?" She closed her eyes and nodded. Sage reached over and grasped her hands in his. Then both of them went still. Only the old women's and Sages breathing indicated they were alive. Kym came back into the room. He saw the motionless women and started to go to her. Keisha grabbed his arm and held him back, with a shake of her head she spoke to him.

"Sage works differently than we do, just wait a while." Kym looked unsure but he nodded, and sat down on a chair to watch and wait.

Sage opened his eyes, he was in the lady's mind, she was there with him. They were standing in a forest glade.

"Where are we? What is this?" She asked him. Her voice no longer frail.

"This is your mind, this is somewhere that means something to you" Sage answered.

"Your mind, your will is showing this place"

"But if it is in my mind, why can you see?" she asked "Because I have joined with you mind to mind, you are letting me see this, if it was your will to, I would see nothing" Sage explained. Then he brought them back to the matter at hand.

"Lady I can take the pain you are feeling, I can take it away, take it into me. This is what I am best at, my own way of healing. When you will it open your real eyes, and do what you need. I will stay here, I will channel the pain"  
The old women looked at Sage with doubt in her eyes, but she knew he was not lying to her, it wasn't possible to lie mind to mind. When she looked into his eyes, she saw more. She almost recoiled from the link.

"You can kill me" she whispered.

"No" Sage said with feeling, cutting her off. "I can help your passing into the next life you choose. Making sure that if you wish it, you will die with no pain and go into the next life in peace, but only if you wish to die, only if you want it. If I tried to before you were ready, your soul would be channelled into me, and that would hurt me, greatly"

The old lady said nothing, her mental self thought about that for a while before she nodded. "I think I am ready now" she said. Sage tightened his 'grip' on her pain. He loosened himself slowly from the forest image, and he drifted into her. He could 'See' the areas of pain, he wove a magic net and laid it over the areas. He braced himself and then drew the pain into himself.

The old Lady opened her eyes. Her physical eyes, she looked round the room. For the first time in years she could see properly, and she could feel no pain, if she thought about it, there was a faint ache, like a pulled muscle but other than that nothing. She became aware of, someone holding one of her hands. She pushed herself up carefully. Now she could see what it was. The young man, Sage was lent on the bed, his head on his arm, his arm resting on the bed apparently in a faint. But she knew better, and it was him holding her hand, she somehow knew, that he needed the physical contact to channel her pain. The other two healers were on their feet, moving towards her, carefully helping her to sit.

And she noted taking great care not to touch Sage. Finally when she was sitting up. She got her first good look at them both.

"How are you feeling Rose?" Kym asked her cautiously, worry and concern lit his face.

"Fine, I feel no pain. I feel like I did sixty years ago" Rose responded "Now if I understand what this young man correctly, he said that he could channel my pain away and I can talk to my son, get things sorted" She looked back down at Sage, she was shocked to see how young he looked, he had felt older, when they had linked. She brushed aside the shock, taking peoples pain would make someone feel older she guessed. She looked at Sage, she had heard of the Hawkbrothers and their love for dying their hair. But she had never seen it before.

Before she had finished studying the young man who was holding her hand. She heard the front door of the house crash open, heavy boots thudded on the floor. Hasty knocking on her door.

Before she could answer, the door crashed open and her son burst into the room. Seeing the two healers standing by her bedside he stopped.

"Mother what's wrong?. Cali said you sent for me" The big mans words belayed worry and fear.

"Calm down, son, I for the moment am fine. I did send for you, but not for you to worry, the young man tells me this may be the last chance I have to talk to you with out being in pain, look do I look like I am about to drop" She said. Her calm manner and gentle words, did much to calm him.

He looked round the room. True his mother, was sitting up and talking with no pain in her voice, something which hadn't happened for a long while. True the healers did not seemed worried about her. They too were standing there calm and composed. Then he noticed a young man slumped over on the floor, his head resting on his arm, which was resting on his mothers bed. And the young man was holding his mothers hand.

"What is he doing?" he demanded. He had seen the man about but he couldn't place him.

"Michael, this is Sage, he is a healer. He is the reason I am able to talk. He has the gift to take away pain" Rose explained gently. "I don't know how, and I would image even if they told me I wouldn't understand. So lets just leave it at that. He is helping me"

Michael looked at Sage, now he remembered him, he had heard some rumours about him, some rather worrying rumours, something about him being a run away slave and his master was a powerful war lord or something. He was going to say something, but the look in his mothers eyes told him, that she probably knew these rumours and she didn't care if they were true.

Keisha caught Kyms eye and she jerked her head towards the corner of the room. Somewhere they would be out of ear shot. Kym quietly walked round Michael and joined her in the corner. He cast a look towards Sage. He was still doubtful about the young man, but as a trainee there was nothing he could do about it. Rose and her son had some talking to do, so he turned his attention back Keisha.

"How long has he been healing like this?" he asked her leaning back against the wall"

Keisha was also looking at mother and son, at Kyms question she looked back to him.

"He isn't healing her" she told him. Planning her words carefully. "He can't heal, he can channel pain away from people, help ease them" She said scanning the trainees face. She doubted he would have come across someone that could do this. It was written that in Vanyals time healers had learnt how to ease pain, but not to take it completely.

Kym looked to the prone figure of Sage, who was still motionless next to Rose. "You mean he can really take away pain, so she is feeling nothing" he voice filled with wonder. "He should go the Healers Collugium at Haven they would love a chance to study with him. He was about to say more but Keisha shook her head.

"No, he would not like to go to Haven, he is very shy, he doesn't like being out of the Vale on his own. He would most defiantly not like Healers prodding an poking him, getting him to channel every person in pain." she said, her tone implying no amount of persuasion would change her mind.

"But why?" Kym demanded hotly, "If he has a gift to heal he should share, if he can help people, he has no right to refuse" he was warming to his argument, he was keeping his voice to a whisper. But it was an angry whisper.

"Do you have any idea what he is doing" Keisha demanded in a very angry whisper.

Kym shook his head but he still answered with "You said he was channelling the pain"

"Yes, do you know what that means?" she asked Kym shook his head.

"it means that he is taking the pain from her into himself, all the pain that she has been in for the last three years is flowing into him. He is in pain for her" she finished quietly. She was rewarded with a Kyms dumbfounded expression, which faded into understanding. Not that she could blame him.

A shout of "NO, you can't" drew them back to mother and son. Michael was now looking angry, upset, scared. His mother calm and ready? Keisha wondered.

"What?" Kym asked walking over Keisha following him.

"She wants to die, she wants to let go, she says this healer can help her pass over in peace, I won't let him trick you mother" Michael started to reach over to pull Sages hand out of his mothers.

"I really would not do that" Sage said his eyes closed, his voice tight with pain. "If you break contact, all the pain I am channelling away will flood back into her, the sudden shock of pain would surely kill her" Sages words were no more then a whisper his head still on his arm. "Your mother is linked with me, mind to mind, if I were trying to trick her, she would know" a wave of fresh pain swept though him making him stop talking.

Keisha stepped up, placing her hand on Michaels arm. The big man looked to her and then rose, tears starting to roll down his face.

"Mother, you can't leave me please" He started.

"Son, it is my time, I know I can feel it. If I let the young man break his link I will be in pain for many more weeks before finally dying in pain. Do you really want that for me" She asked her voice gentle. Michael shook his head.  
Roses eyes unfocused for a moment, a sign that Sage was talking mind to mind with her.

"The young man, says hold my hand, you will feel my peace. But he says don't touch him" she warned. Carefully Michael sat on the edge of the bed and held her other hand, making sure no part of him was touching Sage.

"I have told you all I needed to. I love you more then words can ever say you made me proud and, I leave everything I have to you, these healers bear witness to that" Rose went on. Both Keisha and Kym nodded. "And now, healers I thank you for all you tried to do, and please, thank Sage for me when this is over, I don't think I will be able to" she finished with a smile. Rose closed her eyes and leaned her head back. "I am ready, I am willing aid me" she said, her voice sounded oddly formal, they all knew she was talking to Sage.

Keisha watched, nothing could describe the feeling of peace and calm that swept the room. She could see all three on the bed bathed in Sages' silvery light, slowly the light receded to Sage and Rose.

Suddenly a great sense of well being and something other worldly, a feeling that they were not alone in the room. Rose sighed a deep sigh one last time. And then passed on. Her hands going limp. Kym started forward ready to help Sage but once again Keisha grabbed him, "No, he'll burn you" she warned before pulling him back out of the way.

As soon as Sage felt the old lady pass from his care into the Shadow Lover, he started to break contact, but the Shadow Lover had other ideas, as Rose passed out of sight he turned back to Sage. And spoke to him.

"You have many more in you Channel, will you let them pass on as you did this one" The Shadow Lover's voice was powerful and commanding and yet gentle, it compelled Sage to kneel.

"With respect I can not, these within me, cry for vengeance, if I let them pass now before they have had it, they will wander for all time. I promised them I would give them vengeance" his head bowed.

The Shadow Lover looked at Sage for a while. "Indeed! I know of you,  
you should not kneel, stand"

Sage shook his head, "Lord, with respects again I refuse, I am a creation. A made being. I am for as long as magic is around, you are a God."

Death Said nothing for a moment "I am not a God, I am a diety" He said before nodding. And adding. "In that case I will let you go" before he walked away Death turned back. "I have a feeling I will be seeing more of you. Fair well and remember, call and I will hear you" then Death had gone.

Feeling slightly puzzled by that. Sage drew back into himself. That repast had taken less than seconds in real time. He would deal with that conversation later for now he had more important things. All that excess magic now wanted out.  
He opened his eyes. And saw Keisha pulling the young trainee out of the way. He couldn't speak, he pushed himself to his feet taking care not to touch the son who was sobbing on the bed. He hurried outside,looking round frantically he saw what he wanted. Across the river a burnt out patch of ground. He ran as fast as he could. His hold on the power slipping. He threw himself onto the burnt ground and slammed up shields all around him. To protect the towns people from the backlash and a lesser shield to protect himself.

He groped for a Ley line and found one, he grabbed it mentally and held onto it tightly. He managed it just in time, the magic pushed its way past his hold.  
Flooding into the Ley Line, Sage feed all the excess power into that line, all that power was making his palms sting and tingle. It felt warm inside his shield. He knew the other mages in the Vale would be able to feel the power in the line increase but he could deal with that later.

Finally when all the power had gone back into the line. He lowered first the shield he had placed round him. His clothes were scorched but thankfully intact as he hoped they would have bee. He lowered the stronger outer shield, he couldn't move he was so tired he lay there for a while.

Keisha had burst out of the house in time to see where Sage would be,  
she hurried over. She knew Kym would be dealing with Michael. She walked down the path to the now warmed ground.

How do you feel?" She asked reaching him and waiting for his shield to go down. When it did she crossed to him and lifted his hands to check.  
Other then his palms being bright red and she guessed a little sore he was fine. Physically anyway.

"Fine, just achy. I have never helped one pass before, it will ease soon" he croaked. And sat up slowly, Keisha helped him.

"That was amazing." she told him. "I have never seen anyone do that before. It was so peaceful" Sage only nodded. Talking required energy he didn't have right now.

Keisha had to help him stand. When he was up he could see the two Dyheli coming over to them. The one that had brought Sage, a female called Nea crouched slightly and allowed Sage fall onto her. Then she stood.  
Keisha mounted hers and together the Dyheli leapt into a run, taking them away from the village. It was not a long ride. And Sage soon found himself being helped down by Llayner and other Hertasi. He lay on the leaf covered floor happily. He knew he could take energy from the Heart Stone but he did not want to. He knew he would recover soon anyway. He drew stray magic, so all he had to do was be patient and he would be recovered.

Although the Hertasi would have no trouble carrying Sage, for he weighed next to nothing. They allowed Silverfox to take him, when he arrived. Followed by Firesong and Darian.

"Nea told us" Darian explained as they walked up the path to Sages home. Once inside Silverfox gently put Sage down on the pillows and stepped back.

"Can you talk?" Firesong asked. Sage nodded he opened his eyes.

"Yes, I am just tired, achy and so very hungry. I have never helped a soul to pass over, it will take some getting used to" he said.  
Keisha nodded, confirming that he was alright. Then she turned to the door way. "I will go and find something to eat for you" she said before hurrying out of the door and away down the path. She knew from living with Darian and from her own experience how hungry people could be after using magic.  
The others watched her go and then turned their attention back to Sage.

"Good then, because I think Starfall would also like to talk to you about that. We have never had someone that can do that" Firesong told him.  
At that moment Starfall tapped on the door frame and came in.

Yes I would like to hear all about this" he said.

"You had better sit down then, it may take a while" Sage said. He sat up to make more room., although he need not have bothered. He had so many cushions that there were plenty. When all were settled down, he started his recollection of what he had done. At some point Llayner had come with food, not only for Sage but all gathered in his home. For she knew as well as the others, how Sage hated to eat alone. They shared the food out and Sage went on with his story Not forgetting to tell them about his shielding at the end. When he had confirmed that he had feed the power back into the line, the other mages had nodded.  
They had guessed it had been him.

Sometime later, the mages left Sages home talking among themselves.  
They had been most impressed about the shielding he had used contain the backlash . Firesong in particular had looked rather impressed and thoughtful.  
Sage wondered what he was planning. And more to the point they seemed willing to let him continue helping people in this way, but they had said only if he wanted to. Sage had got the distinct impression that they were impressed with his progress, of all things magical.

Silverfox stood in the doorway watching the mages walk away. When they had gone out of sight did he turn and walk back to Sage.  
Sage had slowly gotten his energy back, as he knew he would. He had gotten off the pillows and was now pacing the main room.

"So?" asked Silverfox his hands on his hips. Sage stopped pacing and gave Silverfox a look of innocent confusion.  
Although he had a good idea what it was Silverfox was going to say.

"Don't look at me like that, I know something else happened, your not letting on to something" Silverfox said, his hands still on his hips.  
He looked sternly at Sage and waited.  
Sage looked at him for moment before giving in. he was no good in a confrontation and he guessed that Silverfox knew that. that's why he had chosen to ask him now. The easiest way was to tell the truth.

"Well, something else happened. But I did not say anything because I am not to sure about it myself" he admitted to the Kestra'chern.  
Silverfox had lent back and was not sitting on the table that took up most of one wall.

"When I helped that old lady. Rose pass over I saw Death." Sage paused and looked into Silverfox's eyes. He wanted to make sure that the other man knew exactly what he meant.

"I mean not that I saw her die, I mean that I saw the Shadow Lover,  
Death as in Death himself. He spoke to me. He asked me if I would let the other souls in me pass on. And when I said I would not, he only smiled said he had heard of me and then walked away and let me come back" Sage said he voice quiet.

Silverfox paled when Sages words sunk in. he had seen Death, that was something which most people would never see and get to walk away from.  
But before he could say anything Sage went on.

"I do not know what Death had meant when he said he knew of me, I had never seen him before today, and well before he let me go he said he would be seeing me again soon. That is the worrying part" he finished Sage paced the room again and ran his hands through his hair making it stick out even more. As he lowered them he realised he was still wearing his scorched clothes.

"Well I can only think. That when people die. Death is Death where ever anyone is. so he would hear of you wouldn't he?" Silverfox said quietly. "And well this being the first time you helped someone to cross would mean that I would be the first time you had seen him. But if you have been around death. Then of course he would see you" He went on gently. He could see understanding crossing over Sages face. It was clear that Sage was worried out why Death had seen him before and he had not seen Death.

"And as for seeing him again soon. Maybe he knows that someone else may need your help soon. He is a Diety, after all" Silverfox finished off. Sage looked at him for a moment and then he nodded. He knew Silverfox was right.  
"please do not tell anyone else of this, not yet, not until I understand fully what He meant" Sage asked Silverfox. Silverfox nodded.

Sage looked down at his scorched clothes, with a sigh he turned to his bedroom, and then looked back to Silverfox.

"You change them I can wait" Silverfox said reading the look. Sage nodded he turned and went back into his bedroom he hunted round in one of the wicker baskets and pulled out some fresh clothes. He let the curtain fall back across the door. Slightly obscuring him from Silverfox, and with his back to the door. He started to get changed. Silverfox turned away from the door, he looked round Sages main room. Cluttered as it was every inch was said who lived there. More of the beads he had been making lay on the table. Amongst paper with his shaky writing on it. It mainly said who he had made the beads for and people who had asked him to make some of the normal ones.

"People really like the bracelets don't they" Silverfox called over his shoulder.  
"Yes, they like the ones that I made even with out the magic in them,  
if you look there should be a green one around. It should ward off the effects of flowers" Sage called back.

Silverfox hunted round for a moment and then he found a pale green and yellow bracelet on the table. It tingled slightly when he picked it up a sign that it had strong magic in it.

"Does it work?" Silverfox called. Putting it down again.

"I do not know yet. I have not found someone who needs it. It was just a thought I had, I heard it from someone in the village complaining that he could not stop sneezing in the hay season" Sage said coming out of the bed room. His top was in one had, a damp towel in the other. He shrugged when Silverfox looked at him again.

"I could not find the person again to offer it to. And well, I did not want to ask. Since I was lurking in the shadows at the time and well"he blushed,

"I do not think, they would appreciate that fact" he wandered over to the bathing room and threw the towel into another of the baskets, one for dirty clothes.

As he turned his back on Silverfox the older man could see the network of scars and burns that ranged across his back, and arms. Silverfox had to swallow a gasp only Keisha had seen him. Seen these scars properly. She had said at meeting that they were bad. But this was the first time he had seen, any other part of Sage other then his arms.

Sage unaware, and unthinking had gone to throw the towel away. But as he turned he felt rather then heard Silverfox's surprise. He halted and considered hiding. No, He thought to himself, he had no need to hide anymore, these people had heard the worst and still they didn't mind. So seeing the physical evidence wouldn't do much more damage.

"Please, do not feel bad" Sage said quietly. He turned back round,  
revealing the other scars on his chest and stomach once more, only these scars were paler then those on his back.  
"I told you what he did, but seeing is another thing I know" he continued. Pulling his top on.  
"Now that everyone knows, I feel I have no need to hide. I should not be ashamed, the scars will never fade, but at least they will never get worse and they are now only on the outside." He said pulling the top down and smoothing it out.

Silverfox nodded. "I believe you are right, if you feel that you have nothing to hide. Then nothing can be used against you" he said with a smile. He was happy that Sage was finally coming to terms with his past himself and he was getting over it. Things could only hopefully get better.

Later when Silverfox had left Sage went out again. He walked down the paths and went back to the cliff top. The same one as this morning, he liked it up there, it was calm and peaceful and not many people went there on purpose. He sat down and looked out over the lake. It was getting quiet late and all the gryphons had gone. Sage could see the lights of some party down in one of the clearings. The faint trace of music came floating on the night air. He lay back on the grass and looked up at the stars. Looking for the shapes, he used to see. It took him a long time to find them all. But his mind was not really on the stars. He was thinking and planning.

What he had done with the shields today had given him an idea. He wondered if he would be able to plant shields round things. Something with his beads, but shield whole places. Maybe like the Vales. His master was coming and Sage had a feeling that he would be more then a little angry now he had found out that his pet, apparently had no fear of him. Only sage knew that he was feigning, he would be scared when they would come face to face. Nearly sixty years of pain at his hands would take longer to overcome. Sage ran his hands down his arms in a gesture that looked like he was hugging himself because of the cold.

In fact he was checking on his latest acquisition. A pair of very thin and very sharp knives held in place by flexible sheaths that went up under his beads. The knives themselves were nearly as long as his forearm. Only the blacksmith and Darian knew he had them and he would keep it that way. Small as they were they made him feel a whole lot safer. And hidden away in his bedroom were two swords as close to the style he was used fighting with. That the blacksmith could make. They were not made of black steel like the old ones, but he had braided black cord round them. He could not move his left arm as well as he used to be able to, but now he practised until he could no longer hold the sword. He may not be as good as he used to be, but if he had to fight one of the other Shadows, he would give them a good fight.

As the night wore on Sage stayed on the cliff staring at the stars.  
Finally as dawn began to light the sky in the east, he thought he had a plan. But he wanted to keep it as quiet as possible. His whole plan for ridding himself of his master was riding on him being able to place strong permanent and flexible shields round the village and keep. And to make matters worse he only had a few weeks or less to do it. He rose and hurried back down the path to his Ekele not noticing the looks that the Hertasi were giving him, for being around so early, he looked like a man possessed. Finally he had drawn up plans on paper, with little notes around them so he would be able to show the others mages what he was thinking.

when he had the paper plans drawn to his liking, he thought about what had happened the other day, with Death. That was the first time he had seen him. He had only helped people halfway before, he had never helped them go all the way. One thing was puzzling him. The Shadow Lover had said all he had to do was call and he would hear. Now that he had no idea how to react to that. The Lord of Shadows, Death himself saying he would answer the call of someone like him. He lay back on a pillow, wondering what would happen the next time he saw Death, would he talk to him again?. As he lay there his mind wandering.  
He had little idea that he would find out sooner rather then later that Silverfox had been right. Someone would need his help again.


	9. the moster of my past

((okies people the bit you have been waiting for the next chapter. Enjoy… once again credit to the wonderful Tessabe, who with out her, this story would be very bad. Cheers Tessabe)

Sage sat and watched with baited breath all his hopes were riding on this one meeting. The meeting of all the Vales mages, Snowfire,  
Firesong, Starfall. All of the were crowded into the council rooms,  
and they all were discussing Sages plan. During the night he had written down his plan for shielding the village and the keep, from anything that Lord Danak may decided to do. It was a rather risky, as something on this scale had never been tried before. And since he had a lot less experience with magic he had decided to take his plans before the real masters and adepts.

Starfall looked to the other mages, Darian, Firesong and Snowfire all looked up their eyes locked, they knew what the Elder mage was thinking, it was the same as what they were thinking. That this plan was mad, in most ways this plan was too big to work, there was no way two mages could hold a shield of that size let alone one.

But the theory behind how he could make it work was plausible. They had actually forgotten that Sage was still in the room. Sitting on one of the tables at the back of the room, waiting.

Finally after some more quiet talking all the mages nodded. It appeared to Sage that they had a reached a conclusion.

"Well?" he asked. Hope and anticipation riding on one word.

"It seems a little far fetched in some places" Starfall started, "But with a little changing I, we think that this may work" He concluded before Sage could worry. Sage smiled. Relief evident on his face. He rose from his table and went to join them.

"Can I ask why beads though, why use something so small for such a large project?" Darian asked "wouldn't tying it straight to the ground work better?" He asked Sage.

"I did think of that, but then I decided that I work with beads, and I can make them out of whatever I need, so I was thinking if I made the beads out of a stone that promoted protection that would help reinforce the shields. Besides, if my magic was tied directly to the earth and it became corrupted, it would corrupt it, this way we can remove the beads if that happens." He told Darian sitting down next to the younger mage.

"oh!" Was Darian's answer.

Sage frowned mentally, he pressed on ruthlessly "if I tied something to the Ley lines or the nodes, then…" he paused placing the idea in there minds.

"If for some reasons, somehow, He got to me, think what could happen to anything in my shields" He summed up explosions of the earth round the village and keep, and image of people being trapped inside. Darian shivered, He nodded silently and let the matter drop.

"I have some beads already made, but there is one thing though I must ask of you" Sage said looking round at them all. Waiting for them to nod he went on.  
"Please do not ask me why, the reasons are something I could not tell you yet, but please do not tell anyone outside this room, what I am doing. The best I can tell you is I feel that something is not right. Danak, could have sent a spy ahead. He knows I am here, it would be unlike him to come into somewhere new with out prior knowledge and well. I would not like him to know about this" He said quietly.

"What makes you think he has a spy this time?" Firesong said quietly after a few moments silence.

"Because" Sage said simply. And then he showed them mind to mind,  
every campaign Danak ever made, each one had one or more spies at the centre relaying information, on people or locations of armies. "You could say it is his nature" They all got the feeling this man had no honour. Sage picking up on this feeling confirmed it.

"He had no honor, no morals, no sense of right or wrong and no sense of mercy. Although, he does has a strange sense of putting up a good face. I think he will try to impress you all and win you over, rather then demand me outright." he concluded finally. He gently withdrew from their minds. "It could be someone travelling through the village,  
on what would look like normal business, he would not risk his spy settling in the village"

"Well, I think we had best get started on this shielding then, and rest assured that no-one outside this room will know about the shields. Lest you tell them," Firesong said to Sage, all the other mages nodded in agreement.

"I know you don't like the idea of using the Ley lines, but how about using them to boost the power of the shields, it would make the easier to handle and less strain on you"

Firesong was telling Sage, trying to convince him, that they would work. "And, that way you could tie off some of the magic from yourself, so that they would not be connected to you directly"

Sage looked thoughtful and listened on to the ideas. If anyone had looked into the council rooms for most of that morning they would have seen an unusually large group talking about beads and where to put them. As it was only the Hertasi looked in on them, providing some food and drinks when it looked like the mages would there for some time. The meeting went on longer then expected as all the mages had something they wanted to verify or check on. It was late afternoon before all mages in the room were happy. Including the one that would be casting the spell. Soon all the mages filed out of the rooms, all except one, who left un-noticed via the window that faced the forest.

Sages feet had barely touched the soft grass before he was off and running. If this was to work then he had a lot to do in a short space of time. He slid to a stop beside his Ekele and went inside. He was looking for Llayner, but she was not there. He rummaged round on his table and found the beads he was looking for, he quickly pocketed them and hurriedly strapped on his, knives making sure that the sheaths lay flat under all the beads. He would have taken the swords but that was one more thing he wanted kept a secret. He scribbled a note to Llayner telling her that he would be gone for awhile and not to worry. He knew she would recognise the writing as his. No-one else in the Vale had the same scrawl as his. Finally checking he had everything, he left his home in a flurry. One or two of the gryphons did notice him leaving the vale as they flew over, but they thought nothing of it. He was alone, and everyone knew that he did not go far from the vale alone.

Two days later it was it was fast approaching dusk and Sage felt ready to drop, he was tired and hungry. He had finished the last of the beads and had buried them all around both the Village and the Keep. He had taken great care not to be seen, and to make sure that he had buried all the beads, far enough away from both Village and Keep so people could still access the wells, fields and stables. He ran a hand through his fading hair. One of the reasons he was so tired was he was doing more magical work then he had ever done in his life. He was vaguely aware of two other mages working there own shielding and protections of both Village and Keep. In case the worse came to the worst. And Sages shields were compromised.

He was also using energy taken from his own pain. It had taken him one very long sleepless night agonizing over the thought and an even more long morning arguing with Firesong and Darian about why he should that to boost his power even more. Very reluctantly they agreed. Because he told them he knew he would need something to boost the power of the shields, and he knew there were many ways he could do this. So he had choosen to use his pain, his blood and some emotions taken from people in both village and keep. He had tied all of this into his little beads.

The emotions he had taken were that of happiness, hope and joy, good things. And he had boosted them with pain. The one thing he knew would work and be strong enough. So now once again his arms were criss crossed with cuts, only this time, they were of his own doing, and these would not scar.  
He sat down for a few moments and eat some of the food he had been given when Firesong and Darian had come down to do their own shielding. He was ravenous, he ate quickly without tasting, his mind on the shield.

Finally was he was done eating he placed the last bit of stone back over where the last bead lay. Then he walked a short distance, so he would be between both Village and keep and set about raising his shields. As he closed his eyes and went in, he only had a few more days if that before Lord Danak arrived. He concentrated, these were going to be the most difficult of all shields he had ever made. Even more so than the ones he had made to block his dreams from Nightwind and Shandi. These shields had to be un-noticeable by all, to walk though with out feeling a thing. But they had to be strong enough to repel those who wished ill on anyone in either village or Keep. Anyone with ill intent in them would not be able to cross the shield. So he hoped that when Danak got to them him and his retinue would have the unrepressed idea that camping in the furthest fields would be fine.

It took him all of that night to finish his shields on both keep and village. He finished by sealing them with his pain, two more shallow cuts to his arms, sealed what the emotions of the people had set up, shields of goodwill. Something he doubted Danak had. With a weary sigh he pulled his sleeves down. And trudged back to the Vale, the looked at the dawns light gracing the sky, he loved to watch the sunrise and as weary as he was, today was no exception.

He looked at the sun light hitting the stream that led into the vale.  
_A flash and once again he could see his lord, astride his warhorse,  
looking terrifyingly handsome as he rode through the countryside.  
His chiselled face graced a sneer as they rode past fields. This time Sage made sure he stayed only watching. He was too weary to enter in a battle of the wills now. He heard Danak give the order to halt atop a hill. His people waiting at its foot. The order to set camp was given. He was close._

And then it was gone as quick as that vision had come, it left him.  
But now Sage knew where Danak was, a day or so away and the fact that no-one in the vale would understand what the lord would be saying when he arrived. Cursing in all the five languages Sage could think of, he hurried up his pace, he had to get to Tyrsell and talk with him, he had to share the language of the Islands. He could eat later, this was more important.  
He sent a call ahead to Tyrsell when he got close enough and asked him to meet him in the fields by the lake. Then he asked if the King stag would summon Llayner and the council.

_:Tyrsell:  
:Yes:_  
_:Can you meet me by the lake and call the Council, there's something important I must tell everyone. It concerns Lord Danak:  
:Yes:  
:Thank you:_

When Sage entered the Vale Firesong, Tyrsell, Llayner and Darian were all there to meet him. Firesong and Darian were both dressed and bore no signs of dressing in a hurry. The rest of the council was by the lake.

"We have been waiting for you, Firesong picked up something that we guessed to belong to our visitors" Darian explain, as though he had read Sages mind.

"It is him, that I am sure" Sage said waving his hands distractedly."I have got to give you the language of The Islands, otherwise you will not know what he is saying" Sage went on. Firesong took a closer look at him. In the early morning light. He noticed that Sage was swaying with the effort to stand, and if possible he looked ever so pale.

"You haven't eaten again have you?" the Adept accused catching hold of Sages arm to steady him. Sage shook his head impatiently.

"That can wait a little longer, you need to know what he will be saying" He insisted. I will eat after I promise" Sage leaned on Firesongs arm, if he made it to the field then he would be amazed. Llayner, disappeared when she heard he had not eaten, she went off to find something filling and to awaken some of the others.

"_Sit down please, I can do this here where you are, you look ready to drop"_ Came Tyrsells dry mind voice. Sage didn't need telling twice, he literally sat down where he was. _"Now think about what it is that you want to give them, Island speach and dialects_" Tyrsell ordered. Sage thought about the Islands and what they spoke.

Tyrsell sent a private thought to Darian, "Get ready to catch him" The king stage warned. Darian moved round being Sage.  
_"get ready"_

Sage did as he was bid. He looked in to the King Stags eyes. He felt brief pulling feeling, before he passed out. Darian caught him before his head could hit the ground and he lowered Sages head down to the ground. As he looked around Llayner reappeared followed by Keisha and Starfall. "_He needs to sleep not fret, he would not sleep if left to himself"  
_Tyrsell said to the others, not sounding apologetic in any way.

"I will take Sage back and look after him, and I will make sure he eats before I let him go" Llayner told the others, and with out another word she scooped up Sage and carried him off.  
Darian turned back to Tyrsell while Firesong explained the situation to Starfall and Keisha as quickly as he could. They all knew that Sage had raised his shields as they had all felt that slight pull on the Ley line.

"Did you get the language?" Darian asked Tyrsell. The Dyheli nodded his head, once.

"_Indeed I did, although, it seems that there are many dialects that they speak, he gave me the most common two and the one he said was Imperial. The one that this Danak and any court he had with him would speak"_

Keisha and Starfall were now up to date on all that had happened in that brief talk with Sage and now they and Firesong had come to stand with Darian. Then Tyrsell set about giving them the languages that Sage had passed on to him. He knew it would be a long morning. He had most of the council to give this new knowledge to, and then anyone else that they could think would need to know. Including the Heralds and Lord Breon.

Darian, Firesong, Silverfox and Starfall were all gathered in Starfall's Ekele. They were discussing the new knowledge that they had been given. They figured that it would be easier to understand if they talked together. Although they would have to ask Sage about some unfamiliar concepts they could not find translations for. Keisha had come by briefly but she could not stop, she had only come to dish out some of Nightwinds headache potion, she was having a busy day. She updated them on Sages condition. Which was he was still sleeping and that Llayner was in a way sitting guard, to make sure he ate.

Sage woke up later that night. He still felt awful, but awful was better then how he had been feeling before. He had a few moments of blissful ignorance before the past few days came flooding back. He sat up with a jerk and looked round blindly for a moment. He could see it was late evening he had slept most of the day. He got up shakily he had to talk to the others, check to see that it had worked, that they would be able understand. He got to the door of his bedroom before he had to sit down. His head was swimming. He was so hungry.

A shadow fell across him, he peered up to see Llayner standing over him, standing in a very human position, her "hands" on her hips pose.  
Sage dropped his head, he knew he was about to get a telling off for not eating. She hauled him up with little effort and promptly dropped him gently back onto his pillow bed.

"You sit there and you eat" Sage opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off.

"You have been working too much magic and not rested enough, you haven't slept properly since you left here. You are not leaving this room until you eat. You know you have to. And if you try to leave I will sit on you"  
she finished scolding and turned back into the main room to fetch the food she had brought up.

Sage had the strongest feeling that she really would sit on him. He felt so weak, he knew he should have eaten. So he excepted the scolding silently. She came back through the door way, with a plate laden with food, more than he could normally hope to eat.

"You eat now. Then you can go send word for them to come here, unless,  
they come here first"

She said placing the tray down. As Sage picked up the plate. He was aware that she had taken his beads and his knives away. He looked round absently for them.  
"They are safe do not worry" She said guessing what he was looking for.

Sage nodded happily, talking meant using energy that he did not have.  
Silently attacked the food on the plate and long while he thought about nothing else other then eating. As Llayner watched, eating was a polite name for it, he was near on inhaling his food he was so hungry. Finally when he had finished the plate, something she had known he would have done. She had been in this vale long enough to know about stupid mages who put off eating when they were working. He handed the plate back to her, she took it with an expression that could have been smile. She turned to the doorway.

"I will go and tell the others. I think that they would like to speak with you now you are rested and fed, but before I do, there is one more thing I need you to do for me" She said, her voice all innocent.  
Sage looked at her, wondering what she could want.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Take a bath before you do anything, please!" and with a flick of her tail she was gone, before he could reply. He watched her fleeting back with a smile. She was right, he should imagine that he did smell pretty ripe after three days of not washing. He pushed himself off the pillows and staggered into the main room. He had to stop for a moment leaning on the wall. Then he staggered into the bathing room. He filled the tub with water, not bothering to heat it. The cold would wake him up. He stripped and plunged into the water. He bit back a yelp as the cold water struck him. Shaking the water out of his eyes, he reached for the nearest soap and set about cleaning himself up. The gritty soap stung the shallow cuts on his arms but he ignored that.

Finally he finished up rising his hair, as he squeezed the water from it. When it was dry it still stuck out in all directions. As he was drying himself he suddenly had an idea. He was a Hawkbrother, he played with the talisman as he thought. They had accepted him. And it would be a move that He would not expect. He threw the towel onto the floor and rummaged around in one of the clothing baskets. And found what he was looking for. He pulled on his new clothes and looked at himself in the mirror. He smiled a happy smile. It would make Lord Danak pause and think when _he_ saw how much like the Hawkbrothers he looked. Almost like kin.

He was wearing clothes of the Hawkbrother style, albeit toned down,  
but still Hawkbrother. He was wearing his normal loose trews, and a sleeveless tunic over a long sleeved shirt and over all of that a loose robe that the Vale mages wore. Only he wore the robe undone. He left his hair to dry and as it did it stuck out as it normally did. He strapped on his knives and put his beads on over the top. As flexed his wrists to make sure that the blades could move freely. Happy that he was done, he was about to go out of the door when he nearly ran into Darian who was coming towards his Ekele. Darian stopped and Sage had to try not to smile at the other Mages' reaction it was fairly comical. Seeing Sage dressed as he was, was not something any of them would have thought about.

After his initial shock Darian managed to pull himself together "I was just coming to get you, the others are waiting for you" he didn't ask why Sage was dressed as he was. He knew Sage would tell them soon enough. He turned on his heel and started back the way he had come, Sage following behind. They walked down the path toward the clearing. Darian pulled the vines out of the way and motioned for Sage to go through.

Sage entered the clearing and looked round, Darian came into the clearing behind him. Sage turned to look at him, if only to avoid the badly hidden looks of surprise at what he was wearing. He looked away to save them embaressment more then himself, when he looked back all the faces were impassive once more. All of the council was here, not at all what Sage had expected to see. Also Silverfox, Keisha, Nightwind and Wintersky were all there as well and they looked slightly tense.

Sage sat down on the grass to one side of vines. "I decided that it was time I looked like what I was" Sage said before anyone else could speak.

"That is?" Firesong asked attentively

"A Wingbrother and a Mage trained by the Hawkbrother" Said Sage with a smile, a real smile. This made the others smile in turn. They said nothing, but most of them had guessed that sooner or later Sage would feel as though he was part of the Vale. And this was it. Silverfox smiled the most, although he did smile mostly to himself. In a strange way he was proud of Sage. But they had some bad news for him.

"Sage, you made your shields just in time, Lord Danak came within an hour or so's ride from the top fields outside the Village, he tried to cross them but found he could not. Now he is camped out in the outer fields" Starfall told Sage, getting straight to the point. Sage stopped startled, he close his eyes for a second and then they flew open. He could feel Danak, it was something he had always been able to do, when he was close. It was because he had been busy he hadn't noticed. He had simply not thought about it, he remembered saying before that the person Firesong had seen was Danak.

"Inth tala tomay" Said Sage quietly. Not in the Hawkbrother tongue,  
but the tongue of the Islands. And not that they noted it then, but everyone in the clearing understood what he had. "**So it begins**" and all of them understood what he meant. Sage swallowed a couple of times and looked back at the council.

"Has he tried to talk to anyone yet, has he sent anyone?"

Starfall, and Darian shook their heads together. "We have been watching him since we guessed who he was, all he has done is set up camp in the furthest fields and that is it. We think he is waiting for the morning before doing anything" Darian said gently. Sage nodded, that did sound about right.

"He will wait until morning, they he will send a messenger to the keep asking for an audience with Lord Breon, and then he will ask for his property back" Sage told them. "He will want to appear a reasonable and good person"

"Isn't he always" Ravenwing asked bluntly. "Isn't that what he always does"

She was shocked by Sages laughter, it took him a few minutes to get himself under control. When he was, he looked into her eyes and showed her images of Lord Danak planning campaigns in the Islands, nearly all of them evolved jumping straight in and taking what he wanted, it was only when he was unsure of his opponents did he do the talking approach. "No he rarely does things like this, he wants to save face with everyone"

Darian ran a hand through his hair. Something Sage had just told him,  
caused him to worry. "You said he would ask Lord Breon for an audience, should we tell him not to accept? What? I am not sure on the best way to approach this. One of the scouts said Danak was accompanied by six men all in black" he said the last bit slowly, as he took in Sages clothing, all black. Something clicked.  
"Sage,You're not coming are you?" he asked moving back a pace. He knew about the knives and the swords because Sage had asked him where he could get things like that. Sage rose from his seat on the floor and nodded.

"I have the advantage over Danak, as I said he will be looking for some quivering wreck who is terrified of his own magic and of men. He will not be looking for a trainee mage, or a swordfighter. He gestured to his clothing. And as for the black, well, that will be an insult to him, when _he_ figures out which one I am." he spoke not only to Darian but to the whole council and peoples who were gathered.

"And as for how to deal with him. Ignorance would be best, let him think that he had the upper hand, that you know nothing of me, of my past, let him think that I have kept you all in the dark. Making him lose whatever mask he will be showing will be an advantage. Make as though you do not understand him, but you want to talk. I would suggest the keep, it has soldiers and one other thing, you will have me. Without boasting I am the only one here who would be a match for the Shadows if he ordered them to fight." he added sitting down. "I have had their training, I trained the people that have trained them, I know how they will fight"

He felt strange taking such a demanding and decisive role in things,  
nothing like he would normally do.

He knew one more thing that he was not telling the others. One way or another Lord Danak would not leave this country alive or unharmed,  
Sage was planning the revenge all the souls in him demanded. He would give them retribution and finally he would be free of them all. Danak and the dead.  
He came back to with a start, what he had said was causing some arguments among the people and the council.

"He wants closure and end to his past, and we will help him. Sage knows this man better then any of us. You should listen to him" that was Firesong.  
Sage smiled to himself. Yes he did know Danak better then anyone.

"Can you really pull this off. Act as though you have not told us anything, act as though you are still scared of him" Starfall asked as the stood to one side. Sage looked at him with such a look in his eyes that Starfall went cold all over.

Whatever suggested I had gotten over him, I had gotten over the fear I have of him. I will fake nothing, the fear lessened the more I have been away, but until he dies, I will fear him until the end." he could see his angry tone had offended Starfall. He relented.

"I am sorry Elder Starfall. It is just this all so painful I want it over with, yesterday. I do not like this game playing. I intend to show him he never really broke me, I intend to have some fun" he said with a smile. "So many times he made me fear him, now I have some cards to play he will never dream of" Starfall looked at Sage with a hard look before smiling. If any other person had said what Sage had just done he would have admonished them for it. But somehow, after seeing, hearing what Sage had been through with this man, he could not find it in himself to. He just hoped that Sage would not go to far and become like the man he hated to much. A cold blooded killer.

The argument, on the other side of the council and flared and had now settled, it seemed that the doubting members had been talked round.  
And they agreed that they would play this the way Sage suggested they should. As they left the clearing to find food, baths or to go home.

Firesong caught up with Sage and grabbed his elbow. Silverfox caught the other one and Darian and Keisha came up behind. They had the intent of steering Sage towards Firesongs Ekele and keeping him company through the night. Sage however gently but politely shrugged them off.

He told them that he did want to alone. He really needed to think and have some time to himself to meditate. Short of forcing him to accept their company they let him go and told him that they would come by later.

Watching them walk off down the path, Sage wandered more slowly back to his home. He looked at the door way and reflected that he had been spending a lot of time in there recently. He Didn't want to be inside and it looked to be a nice night. So he went for a walk past his door and up the path right to the top of the cliff. It was quiet but still not quiet enough. As he walked along to top of the cliff he saw what he wanted a large ledge a short way down from the edge.

With out much regard for himself he swung down and landed on it. He sank down and crossed his legs, his back resting on the cliff wall. He looked out in to the gathering gloom, he would not see the sunset from here but he would have a good view of the sunrise. He really wasn't going to do anything, he just wanted to be alone to think and not think. Then he let his mind wander.

Across the lake, he could see a few bond birds flying above the trees.  
He could not tell which ones they were from here, the light was too bad, but he could see that they were having fun bombing each other.  
Shortly the birds dived one last time and vanished from sight. Some time after that, a largish bird broke the canopy and headed off in the direction of the village.

Sage loved to watch and talk to the bond birds. He loved them, they were so much more clever than thier wild counterparts. He would watch them fly and play with each other. He wondered what it would feel like to be bonded with one. To feel what the bird felt. To see through its eyes. To have someone to share their minds with. He sighed. That was something he doubted he would ever find out. How it felt to be close to something. He took of the outer robe and bundled it behind his head. Gradually he feel asleep watching the stars.  
He woke up to sounds of bird calls and the dawns light gracing the sky. And as he woke he became of the fact the he was not alone. A quick glance to the side, showed Kauri was with him and then a slight movement above made him look up. He could see Kel peering down at him, the sight of Kel peering over the cliff made Sage smile. He sat up and stretched.

"Good morning to you both, and to Darian if you are here" He said to Kauri. He was guessing the Darian had sent Kauri and asked Kel to find him.  
As if reading his thoughts, Kel spoke to him.

"Darian and the others wanted us to make sure that you are fine, When they went to your Ekele and they could not find you there, they worried. I told them not to, but humans do worry" said the Gryhpon with an amused tone. Sage nodded, and stood carefully, not wanting to bump kauri. When he was standing he threw the crumpled robe to over the cliff so it landed next to Kel then he started to climb back up.  
He made it up with little effort he stood next to Kel and looked back down but the bond bird and taken off and was now heading back across the lake.

"I flew over the camp in the outer fields last night." Kel said casting a side look at Sage, Sage did nothing he looked down for a moment and then back at the trail.

"I can't imagine that you would have seen anything to interesting, he never lets his men do anything when its dark. Not like most camps"  
Sage said in the same none committal tone.

"No, that's what was so strange about the camp. No sounds above a whisper. No drinking, no fires nothing." Kel went on. He needn't of bothered though Sage knew all too well how Danak liked his camps run.

"He will send a runner to the keep. I have made sure that the shields would let him through, and I will have to lower them for him to get in for the meeting" he smiled for a moment, "And then when he is gone I can raise them again and make sure that he will not get in again"

Sage said looking at Kel. The Gryhpon nodded, since Gryphons were earth mages they could feel the shields.

"And as soon as the others are awake I think we should make a few more additions to our plans," He said this with such a vicious grin that Kel had to stop himself from stepping away from the Mage.

Some time later. Sage and the other Hawkbrothers were in Lord Breons keep. Sage had lowered the shields enough to allow Lord Danaks messenger though. And the poor man looked terrified. The Hawkbrothers Starfall, Firesong, Darian and Silverfox and all dressed up for the occasion. Well, dressed up was the wrong word Sage thought to himself.

They were dressed in their finest. Silverfox and Firesong were reverse images of each other, Both were dressed in red and gold, where Firesong had red, Silverfox had gold and vice-versa. It was a style the pair liked.  
Starfall was dressed to every inch the Elder, his long hair had been carefully groomed with crystals and beads braided in. Darian was dressed in his usual mix of Valdemaran and Hawkbrother. Lord Breon was in the background dressed as his station belayed he should, richly but simply. In clothes of brown and dull gold.

And then Sage, he stood in the in the shadows. Well hidden from sight but he had a good view of what was happening in the room. He was dressed in the same style clothes as the before. All black, with the loose robe over the top. He was still barefoot and he had his knifes in their sheaths on his wrists. He had recognised the messenger. He was mildly surprised to see him. Lord Danaks messengers had very short life spans.

"My lord would ask an audience you of lords whenever your pleasure takes you" the messenger said in very bad trade talk.

"We should accept are you sure?" Breon asked the others talking in Valdemaran, which the messenger could not understand.

"Yes" the simple answer came from Starfall. "We should" "Soon or make him wait?" Was the next question from Breon.

Darian was thinking on this answer then he answered,  
"Soon as you may, today if you can"

Lord Breon looked to the others, "Is today too soon, this afternoon,  
to hear and deny his request?" Lord Breon asked.  
the others nodded in agreement, it would not be too soon.

"Very well we have considered your masters request and we accept. If he would care to grace us this afternoon, we will receive him" Lord Breon Said to the messenger, in slow careful trader talk. The messenger nodded he understood, the bowed to them all and left at a hurry.

He left the keep and hurried across the courtyard and out towards the fields. Sage stood by the window and watched the man go as soon he lowered the shield when he neared it and once he was out of the courtyard and past the boundaries of the shield Sage raised it again. He would not lower it until he had to.

"Are you alright?" Silverfox had come over to talk him speaking in the Hawkbrothers tongue.

Sage nodded still looking out of the window even though the man was out of sight. "I did not think that he would bring that messenger, he was out of favour when I left, I had not expected to see him again" he replied in the same language.

"Can you do this? or do you wish to leave?" The Kestra'chern asked concerned

"NO, I will see this through, besides if I leave he will know he will follow, this ends here" he said fiercely to Silverfox. "I will stay"

Silverfox nodded and then turned to the room again.  
"I think that you should come and talk with the others, they will worry" Sage nodded and came away from the window to talk to the others. They seemed intent on talking about small things anything's to keep their minds of the impending meeting.

As the candle burned one mark after the mid-day mark. Sage looked out of the window once more, the others were finishing eating, Sage had picked at the fruit, only out of the need to eat something rather than hunger. With a sigh he let the shields down and resumed watching. It was not long after the others came to watch the window that the call went up from the wall Lord Danaks party was on its way.

In no time at all, they were seated in one of the inner gardens, as it was a nice day they had opted for an outside venue. Lord Danak was sprawled on a chair facing the group. Two of his Shadows stood behind him. Starfall and Firesong lounging on chairs in the middle, with Darian to the right and Silverfox was to the left the latter pair also on chairs watching and listening. Sage there but none of he Hawkbrothers could see him, but they could feel him.

"And well you see I am looking for something of mine that found its way here and got lost. I really would like it back" Lord Danak was saying in accented trade talk. It seemed that none of Danaks party could speak Valdemaran. Although they were not too sure, although if they couldn't it would be Something which could be useful…

Darian studied the man, that had reduced Sage to a bag of nerves. He was tall, taller than Sage, with longish black hair. Bound back in a single tail. He wore all black clothes. A tunic over a loose open shirt. Black trousers and polished knee high boots. He wore no weapons openly but then seeing who was behind him it was no wonder, if they really were as good as Sage said, the people behind him were weapons.

They were dressed in the all black that he had seen from Sages memories that night. Lord Danak and Lord Breon had been playing the word game for nearly half a mark and now finally Lord Danak was getting to the point.

"How do you know that your possession is here, it could have been taken away down the coast?" Starfall was asking calmly. Lord Breon was nodding in agreement, as if they did not know what the possession was.

"Well do you have anybody here who goes by the name Malgita" Lord Danak asked. A slight smile from one of the bodyguards behind Danak,  
indicated that, that name was more then a name. Although none of the Hawkbrothers recognised it.  
:_The closet translation would be Pet. He thought it funny to name me what I was to him. A pet_: Came Sages mind voice.

"No we don't" Lord Breon said looking to the Hawkbrothers. Starfall shook his head.  
"No, no-one in our Vale has that name or title" he said talking to Lord Breon not Lord Danak, which seemed to annoy him slightly.

"Are you sure?" Lord Danak asked. Thinking, he knew his pet was here he had seen him, in those dreams. "He may have changed his name, he stands about here on me" he held his hand about shoulder height. "He would have pale hair. A little like yours but paler and his skin is white. And his eyes are silver" he finished. A very accurate description. Darian thought to himself.

"And this person will know where your property is?" Darian asked looking Danak straight in the eyes and holding them.

Lord Danak looked away first but only after trying to outstare Darian.  
He looked away for a moment as if planning his words.

"I know not if you have slaves here" He said looking round them, "But in my country we do. If people have committed hurtful crimes then they are bonded to the people or the kin of people that they have hurt"Danak said smoothly.

:_Liar_: Came Sages amused mind voice :_He makes slaves of who ever he wants_:  
he was saying this more for Breons sake then the others. Lord Breon had not been privy to Sages confessions.

"We have a man, that matches that description" Said Firesong thoughtfully, "Although he is a good man and a hard worker, do you have any proof that he is the man you are looking for"

This question made Danak stop and think, he could not reveal why he wanted his pet back, or why he had scars, they obviously did not know he had magic. Then he remembered something.

"Yes, before I was elected to be ruler. There was a brief time when he tricked my father into believing he was one of his personal guards, he used that position to hurt and kill people in the palace. When he was caught he was tattooed. With my mark a lion rampant." Danak told them, looking very sincere. It was very believable story, for they knew that some countries indeed, bond criminals to the families that they had hurt.

:_I never did, I never killed anyone till he made me_: Raged Sage, the power in his mind voice made Lord Breon flinch slightly.

:_Calm down, calm down we know Sage:_ Darian mindspoke back to him,  
Firesong and Starfall were busy thinking up and answer.

"even though you say this man is yours, he has been living with us,  
peacefully. We and our mages will have to talk with him. I am afraid that we can not in all honesty give you a man who has claimed our protection. We must investigate this matter" Starfall said with a solemn tone that implied no arguments.

This was not the answer that Lord Danak was wanting. He wanted his slave back now. Not to have to wait whilst he spun stories that these people might believe. He looked round the room blankly, he could feel his pet was here close by. He wanted him back. No slave would escape from him. Besides he was feeling his age now. The power he had taken from him was wearing out. He knew he would die, unless he got his Malgita back.

"I can't stay long, my business will call me back, how long before I know if I can take him" Lord Danak asked rising to his feet his bodyguards moving with him.

Starfall to his credit, actually looked as though he was thinking about it. "Well, the spells our mages will use are quite strong. I would say the day after tomorrow we should be able to give you an idea. Although if its found he had committed crimes here we may have to try him here first" Starfall told the Lord.  
Lord Breon was nodding, "Yes, a trial to see if we should send him back. Spells and the like, good idea" he was talking to Starfall rather then Lord Danak, who took the hint that there would be nothing more for him to say here. He bowed politely to them and left. His guards following him. Sage ghosted behind them and followed him making sure that he and his guard left the keep. As he walked he could see that Danak was fuming.

"He will never let Malgita go. It seems I will have to take what is mine. You and yours look out for him. The moment you see him grab him"

Danak ordered to his guards before mounting his horse and riding away.  
The guards looked to one another and then shrugged melting into the night.

Sage pressed himself back into the shadows of the walls. He could not be seen know. One mistake was all it would take and then he would have him. Him would have to play this carefully. He sighed he could not raise the shields round the keep not if those shadows were still about. But he could raise the ones he and the other mages had put in, as a sudden thought. Ones that were closer to the keep. They were not quiet as good as the bigger outer shields, but they would protect the people somewhat. He raised them with little more then a thought. Then he turned and headed back to the keep. Back To the garden.

"So, is it true. You killed people?" was the first thing that Lord Breon had said when Sage had come back out in to the open. Sage turned round and faced him.

"If you have believed what he said, then that shows how little trust you have in me" He said his stammer more noticeable now he was upset by Breons words.

"But he said you worked as a guard."

"Yes for his father, not for him" Sage retorted.

"But you were his slave, you belonged to him, he said you had his tattoo" Persisted Lord Breon.

Sage let rip and very colourful response. Thankfully only the Hawkbrothers knew of what he said. Sage could not believe how dense Lord Breon was being.  
"Yes I was his Slave, Yes I belonged to him and yes I have the bloody tattoo" He finished in Valdemaran so that Breon could understand him,  
and then he lifted his tunic with one hand and pulled the waist band of his trousers so that Breon could see his right hip. And there was a lion rampant.

"And shall I tell you why he had it put there instead of my arm like the rest of them, because there it meant that everybody would know I was his pet, to take pleasure in as he chose and to hurt at his whim" Sage finished quietly his cheeks flushed slightly.

Lord Breon shook his head I am sorry, please forgive me. I am an old fool. It is hard for me to think of people I know and respect being something so meaningless to someone else. And well well when he said that about the murder, it suppose I went in to Lord and Judge mode without thinking, I am so sorry. I should have know better then to listen, to believe him" Breon said gently.

Sage let go of his tunic and smoothed it back into place. He shook his head, "It does not matter to much, he has always found a way to make people believe him"  
"And now we have one day for something to happen or he is going to be very upset when we tell him no" Firesong said. Breaking the quiet.

"Sage can you tell me, if he will have anymore men with him." Firesong asked. Sage closed his eyes for a moment, he found Danak easily he followed him back to his camp. He pulled back slightly in his minds eye he could see the camp.  
"He had the six shadows, a few servants and," Sage paused there was someone, the messenger. "No only what you can see he has come with, the rest of his men, will be enforcing his rule whilst he is gone"

He opened his eyes and smiled at them, "You know he is going to be very upset when you tell him no. he has come in person to get his slave. That will make him quite bitter, he isn't used to not getting his way"  
"Well we will deal with that. Tomorrow" Starfall said "and now until tomorrow I intend to have a nice time here" He said.

Sage watched them walk away back towards the seats. "You do not have to worry, for I will end it one way or another." he said so very quietly that no one heard him.


	10. The End of all things

Sage sat on a low wall swinging his feet. He was aware of two of the Hawkbrothers hovering nearby. Ever since the meeting earlier that afternoon they had not let him out their sight, worried he would do something rash. He sat on his wall over looking the gardens, his thoughts wandering lazily. He was trying to take his mind off Lord Danak and what his future held.

Part of him was watching Daystorms flock of crows mobbing and playing with each other. He loved watching the bond birds playing, they were so carefree and happy. Daystorm was also outside watching her birds flying and playing, she saw Sage watching and walked over to him slowly, one of the crows was riding on her shoulder, from what Sage could tell it was a young one, a male if he guessed right. As Daystorm sat down, she watched the birds with Sage quietly for a moment, the two Hawkbrothers who had been watching Sage moved away so that they would not be able to overhear their conversation.

"Sage, my birds tell me you have been out here since the meeting was over" She said not looking at him, still watching her flock. Sage looked to her with surprise at the sudden statement.

"Yes, I was watching your flock, I love to watch them fly and play they seem so happy and carefree" he told her voicing his earlier thoughts.

For some reason this seemed this right thing to say, she nodded and looked fairly happy with his answer.

"Well Sage, I have someone who would like to talk you" She said gently pulling on Sages nearest arm, his left one. Sage looked from his arm to her. His face a picture of confusion. The crow that had been sitting on Daystorms shoulder side stepped down from her shoulder,  
along her arm and onto Sages arm. She moved her arm away and smiled as understanding dawned on Sages face. The crow settled his feet gently on Sages weaker arm, his wings half spread to distibute the weight.

:Hello, young one, what is your name: Sage asked the crow with a gentle mind touch.

:Hello Sage: The young crow said. His mindvoice cheerful and happy. I'm Radva, friends, yes:

:Yes, most definately yes: Sage told him eagerly. His mind was spinning with the thought, he had been chosen, no, bonded with a Hawkbrother bond bird. Something he wouldn't have thought possible. He Sage, had a bond bird. Sage felt as if he was floating he was that happy. He was vaguely aware of Daystorm standing and moving slightly away.

"I have a spare arm guard back in my bags" she offered. Sage looked up at her,

"Thank you, that would be wonderful, how did you know?" he asked gently stoking Radvas chest and neck. The crow was trilling in pleasure.

"I guessed he was thinking of bonding with someone other then me. So I thought to be prepared, although, I didn't think he would pick you"  
she smiled to take the sting off what could have been an insult. But Sage was too happy to realise or even care. He was now truly a Hawkbrother he couldn't wait to tell the others.

"I will tell the others if you like. You can stay with Radva and talk some" Daystorm offered. Although Sage wasn't looking the older scout was smiling just as much as she was. She was pleased to see someone happy. She nodded to the other Hawkbrothers who were still behind Sage, they too had seen what had gone on. And they knew that Sage would not be going anywhere for the rest of the day and most of the next. Sage was so busy with Radva that he didn't notice when Daystorm quietly left him.

:keep stroking, feels good: Sage could hear the pleasure in Radva's mind voice.

Sage complied happily. , Radva stretching his neck out as far as he could, his eyes closed in bliss. After much neck stratching Sage had to stop. :I hate to disrupte your good time, but I can not holdyou on this arm much longer: He told Radva apologetically Radva was still sitting on Sages left arm, and even though he had worked up his strength in that arm it still ached after having a large bird to sit on it unaided. Radva didn't seem to put out, he simply stepped up Sages arm and onto his shoulder, he started to run his beak through Sages hair, preening him. Sage reached round and stroked Radva's chest with his other hand when the bird had settled. Not bothered that the birds sharp beak was inches from his head.

Sometime later Silverfox was looking out of one of the windows in the keep, he had heard that Sage had bonded with a bird. One of Daystorms flock no less. He was looking for Sage but he could not see him, he guessed that he had gone into the group of trees that grouped in one corner of the gardens. It was clear that Sage wanted be alone with his bird or he would have come into the keep itself. Silverfox smiled to himself, some of the Hawkbrothers in the keep were planning a celebration for Sages bonding to Radva. Silverfox knew from talks with Sage that he dearly wanted to be the same as others, "A normal mage would do" he had once told Silverfox. This would be one of the closest things he would get. Bonding to a bird. They both knew though that the chances of him being human were next to nothing. He made half a mind to go and find him soon and talk. -  
Sage was indeed sitting in the small group of trees that grew in the gardens, he was sitting on his rolled up over-robe, his legs out in front of him, his back against a tree. Radva was sitting on his shoulder preeing Sages hair making it stick out even more than normal. Darian had found him some time ago to tell him that they were having a celebration for him. Nothing to be or fancy, just the few Hawkbrothers and Lord Breon. Not a big party, they had said they would save that for later. Later being when all this was over and Sage was back in the Vale.

Sage had been deeply touched and had told him to start with out him, he would be along later. He knew he would have to go soon, "the party" had been in full swing for a candle mark or so. He had been thinking, no worrying was closer to the truth about tomorrow and the day after and what would happen when they told Lord Danak that he could not have Sage.

The Hawkbrothers and Sage knew that he would be angry and try something, Sage wanted to be ready before anyone got hurt. With a sigh he made sure the arm guard Daystorm had lent to him was on properly, ironicaly he had tried both arms and found that it was more comfortable to have the guard and Radva on his left. But for the most time, Radva would ride on his shoulder.

:We should go to the party for a while: Sage told Radva. Radvas mind voice was filled with pleasure at being scratched, but he side-stepped down Sages arm and onto the grass whilst Sage stood and put on his over-robe, with out bothering to tie it, he knelt back down so Radva could hop onto his arm. Slowly they made their way into the keep and towards the main hall.

:They come: Aya told Firesong from his perch on a window ledge the firebird had a good view of the entrance into the keep, not to mention that Radva had told the Firebird. Firesongs eyes twinkled behind his mask, this would be the first time anyone bar Daystorm and Darian, had seen Sage all day. He had expressed a want be alone for a little while he would join them later. Knowing how Sage could be, they had left him to it for a while and now he was joining them. Turning Firesong announced to the room that Sage was on his way. When Sage finally graced the hall he was hovering in the doorway, Radva on his arm.

Seeing him Silverfox sweeped over in a flurry of braids and feathers, and gently hugged Sage careful not to squased Radva.

"Well done" he whispered. Then he looked to Radva. "And who is this"  
"This is Radva" Sage told him, pride evident in his voice.

"Well hello Radva" Silverfox said to the crow. Radva nodded his head, accepting the greeting. Then before Sage or Silverfox could say anything else they were swept up by Hawkbrothers wanting to congratulate the pair. Sage let himself get swept up in the partying. Firesong had finished talking to Sage and watched as one of the other Hawkbrothers stole him away. Spying his lover in a shadowy corner Firesong went to talk to him. "what you are thinking in this corner all alone?" Firesong asked when he came into earshot. Tossing his braid over one shoulder, he leaned on the wall next to Silverfox.

"Nothing really just thinking" The Kestra'chern answered. Looking to Firesong. "Just thinking"

"About what?" prodded Firesong.

"Oh nothing really, just about Sage and how much he has changed this last year, to think, just under a year ago, he was a wreck that hated to be touched, hated crowds. And now this, he has a party for him, he really is one of us" Silverfox said watching Sage. He was talking to a scout by the name of Summerleaf. He raised his left arm up slightly, a slight flicker betrayed his arm ached, Radva walked up Sages arm and sat on his shoulder preening his hair. To watch them everyone would be able to see, that this pair were meant for each other. Sage wandered round the room. Keeping to the walls, but then old habits die hard Silverfox reflected.

Finally the gathering wound down to a close as the various other Hawkbrothers drifted off to find sleep. Sage stayed until all the others had gone, when only he and Radva remained the left the hall. As Sage walked, he found his feet taking him outside, he still felt confined. He walked to the top of the walls and looked out over the forest. In the darkness of the night, the forest was a still, yet buzzing mass. To glance over the trees would reveal that it was sleeping, but to listen one would hear the chattering, rustling and movement of the nightime creatures, doing what small night animals did.

He looked to the forest again and then made up his mind, he would be safe in the forest he thought, his shields were still up. No one could break them. He walked back down the steps and towards the smaller gate, the one that would let him out. The guard on that gate let him through with little fuss, he simply told the guard that he wanted to out in the forest.

The guard watched him walk away. As he neared the forest and merged with its shadows, Sage heard the gate shut with a gentle thud . As he walked into the forest he breath a sigh of relief, the cool, damp night air was so refreshing, he breathed in deeply. Radva on his shoulder stretched his wings. Although the hour was late, or early seeing how you looked at it. He wanted to fly. Sage stood still so Radva could take off and fly into the trees. Sage smiled slightly, Radva was still young, by bird standards he loved to play, or so Radva had told him.

Sage watched Radva fly off with a smile, he went off himself and wandered around under the trees just enjoying being outside. He knew he would have to go back inside soon, but a little longer couldn't hurt. Could it? As Sage wandered under the trees he became aware he was not alone, he had the feeling that someone or something was following him. He stopped dead in his tracks to let down his shields. To his surprise he found that he had let them slip while talking to Radva, he looked round suddenly feeling very alone and vulnerable.

As he sent out a gentle mind thought looking for anyone or anything.  
He found two people tracking him one on each side, close very close and a third person waiting close by. Sage probed a little more, and then recoiled from the two people. He had been so stupid, he couldn't believe how foolish he had been. They were Lord Danaks Shadows. He started to turn slowly meaning to walk away. He was betting the third person was another Shadow, one that could not enter the shield.

But as he turned to go, the dark shadows to his left suddenly blurred and the man who had been hiding jumped forward followed quickly by the one on the other side. Sages mistake was to turn and look at the second one, giving the first Shadow guard the chance to attack, he leapt on Sage grabbing his arms, knocking him off balance, making him fall to the forest floor. Sage rolled as he hit the floor, he knew how these people would fight, he had trained the people who had trained them. He gave them a seemingly good fight, although only evading them for a while, not actually trying to hurt them. After a few minuets the one of the guards managed to knock him down. Sage took a long time to find his feet giving the second one time to grab his hands and bind them. Sage managed a look up at his captors, seeing one draw his dagger Sage called to Radva.

:Radva, my brother, fly back, go. I am in trouble I need you to get the others:

:Fly away, NO! I help you.:

: They would kill or hurt you to hurt me, the others need to be warned:

:Bad men, I will get brothers to help you: Radva said back.

Sage just caught sight of Radva winging past them, before the Guard brought the dagger hilt down on Sages temple knocking him out. As the two guards picked up the hapless Sage, they were were surprised how easy it was, they knew Sage could fight. He seemed too easy to catch, maybe being away for such a long time had made him weaker, softer, less willing to fight. But then they had him and now he was the problem of their lord.

Radva flew back to the keep as fast as he could. He knew who he would look for, Darian, Although he was flying fast he had to fly slightly slower then normal because of the dim light it was hard for him to see. Finally he made it back to the keep and he found Darian's room, he hopped through the slightly open window and could see Darian asleep on the bed, Kauri was roosting on the bedstead. Radva landed on the window sill.

Radva flew as fast as was safe in the dim light, he could have flown faster in the daytime, but he had trouble seeing well in the dark. He knew who to look for, Darian. Finally he made it back to the keep and Darians room. He hopped through the slightly open window and flew to Darians bed. Darian was asleep and Kauri was roosting on the perch provided :Darian wake: he called to the sleeping mage, as strongly as he could. Both mentally and vocally using the loud voice of his speices.

Darian stirred slightly and opened one eye sleepily, when he saw Radva sitting on the window sill hoping from foot to foot he opened his eyes fully.

:What is wrong Radva: he asked his mind voice still sleepy.

:Help needed. Sage taken by bad men: Radva said, his mind voice urgent. At those words the sleep fled from Darian. Radva watched as Darian swung his feet round and sat up on the bed. Kuari was waking as well, the loud noise had done well to wake both mage and bird.  
Radva then went on to tell Darain all that had happened since the gathering had finished.

Darian looked to Radva, "The others need to be woken" he said finally after hearing all there was to hear.

"We will get him back" he promised standing. Then he turned to pull on some cleaner clothes before turning to the door.

"Come on, lets get the others" he said to the two birds. He pulled open the door and set off down the passage to wake the others the birds flying ahead, they all knew how dangerous Danak could be.  
In a short time, Starfall, Silverfox, Wintersky and Firesong were all awake. Radva had just gone off to awake, Daystorm then she would wake all the others. Shortly Radva returned, soon followed by the few remaining Hawkbrothers. All of whom were looking rather sleepy.  
"I sent Radva to fetch you all so you must know that Sage has been taken by Lord Danak. Radva has told me that he was taken by two men in black, and that he was able to send Radva to warn us. We don't have much time we need to make ready our plans" He told the expectant room."

"Why did he leave the keep though?" Starfall asked after a moment, he knew it was not safe, he told us two of the Shadow guards had stayed inside he his shields, so he could only raise the smaller shields to keep the others out" Starfall went on. Looking to the others.

"I think, that he did not mean to go outside the keep, but the suggestion of the trees was to hard to ignore" Darian put in, quickly.

"Radva had said Sage realised his shielding had slipped when he had been talking to him, Radva had also said, that Sage felt compelled to go outside the walls"

Radva squawked as if to confirm this. Nodding his head. Darian looked to Radva and then back. To the others, he was going to speak when Silverfox started to say something. Silverfox had been sitting listening to what Darian was telling them. He wondered why Sage would leave the safety of the keep when he knew it wasn't safe, then a chill ran down his spine as he remembered something Sage had told him.

"You say his shield had slipped he was not guarding his thoughts?" he asked Radva. The bird nodded again. Silverfox thought for a moment and then nodded, that seemed to fit then.

"I think we need to get this plan ready" Silverfox said, bringing them back to why they were here. If he was right they had to act now. They quickly went over the plan, it didn't take them long to agree on its final form. Soon they were ready to go. As dawns bright light begin to grace the sky, the Hawkbrothers were deep in planning. They would get Sage back and spare no-one.

Across the forest the two guards were hauling Sage towards the forest edge and the camp of their Lord. The younger of the two was full of excitment talking about a job well done. The older man was silent,  
unlike the lad he had been in the service of Lord Danak for many years. He was not so full of joy, he knew what awaited the lad in his arms, and he knew it wouldn't be pretty. As they passed over the boundry of Sages shields, they both shivered in reaction without knowing why. The younger of the two guards looked to the stirring Sage.

"Hurry, he is waking!" the younger man urged.

The older man said nothing but nodded and increased the pace. They were getting nearer to the camp, the sooner they handed over this person the sooner he could wash his hands of the matter and have a clear Concience. He had seen the boy before and he had seen the things Lord Danak had made the boy do, he had also heard the rumours as well as the screams. He pushed the thoughts out of his head, this boy belonged to the Lord. He had run away and he would be punished, but the thought of how this would happen kept popping back into his head. He pushed them out firmly, the third man was going back, to make sure the way was clear, then he would catch them up soon.

As the reached the camp. The younger of the two, the one who was not carrying Sage hurried ahead to tell Lord Danak they had succeeded. He disappeared into the tent and reappeared moments later Lord Danak in the lead.

Sage at this point had actually come round some time ago, but had remained limp. He was listening carefully, all senses open, he felt as they passed the shields, then raised them fully, causing the two to shiver as they felt its power. Sage hoped that the others would see the shields and know he was alright. As they reached the camp he heard the younger guard hurry away and then the one carrying him slowed and stopped.  
Sage could hear footsteps coming towards them crunching on the leaves,  
Sages heart froze, he had heard those footsteps hundreds of times before, without having to look, he knew without doubt that those footsteps belonged to Lord Danak. Feigning unconsciousness he remained limp.

Lord Danak stood a few feet away regarding his lost slave, feeling elation that he had finally gotten back what was his.  
"He is still not awake, I trust you did not do damage" Lord Danaks clipped tones sounded deadly soft in the quiet.

"No, no My Lord, just a little tap to make sure he came without causing a fuss. Funny thing is though My Lord, he never noticed us till we were on him, he walked straight into us" The older guard said with an awkward bow.

"Indeed" was the clipped reply cutting off anymore talk from the guard.

"Bring him into the tent and then leave us, we have much to catch up on" came the command. The two guards obeyed, following Lord Danak into his tent, inside they found Lord Danak had, had ropes slung over the top cross bar in the tent. He indicated that they should tie Sage there. They did as he asked, then left, as they reached the doorway Lord Danak spoke again.  
"Stay close, he may prove difficult."

Then Lord Danak turned and walked back into the middle of the tent, he looked over his Pet. Well it looked like his pet, same height, same size and same eyes. But the hair and the dress were wrong. The hair was black, his pet had silvery white hair and the clothes indicated someone who had some standing. They fit him too well to be anything other than taylor made. He knew the best way to check he strode forward.

Sages arm ached already from being tied. From the feel, it was rough ropes that were holding him. Pulled just tight enough so tips of his toes were brushing the carpet. He could hear Lord Danak pacing round him. He knew he didn't look like he did when he left. His hair was different and his clothes. Also he wasn't sure, but he didn't think Danak would know that his arm had not healed correctly. He could almost hear the thoughts churning, then he heard him stop and take a step forward. With a sudden jerk he felt the over-robe ripped away from him. He forced himself to remain still he would not react. Lord Danak circled again, he would have fun with this one even if he was not the his pet. After he had ripped the outer robe away, he looked again. Then he moved forward, he wanted to check this was his pet. Gripping Sages shirt in one hand he yanked it up. At the same time he pulled the waistband of his trousers down over his right hip, and there tattooed on his hip was the lion rampant. Only his pet here would know what that meant, and he knew he would not let anyone pretend to be him. He cared too much for others, it was a weakness of his, one that Lord Danak had never managed to break him of

Releasing his shirt and trousers Lord Danak stepped back as an evil little smile played on his face. Now the fun really could begin. He had a feeling that his Pet was now no longer unconsciousness. Well he would soon find out. Not fully letting his hand fall away from Sages hip he traced up slowly over Sages body. He admired the toned body before him. His pet had always been scrawny. He didn't believe in keeping his pets well fed, but now he was seeing what a good thing that could be.

He traced his hand up over his pets chest and then his face, resting his hand gently on his pets cheek, almost a lovers caress. There! Then, he saw his pets eyes flicker under the lids and a sudden slight indrawn of breath. His pet was awake. Drawing his hand away he drew back and then hit Sage in a stinging back handed blow. Sage felt the hand creeping slowly up him. He knew Danak was testing him, he knew he shouldn't react but he could tell by the way Lord Danak was doing this he was enjoying himself. Sage prayed it would go no further than this. Suddenly he knew he had betrayed himself. Lord Danaks hand drew back and then Sage felt the stinging pain of a backhanded blow. Knowing he could not pretend any longer he opened his eyes. And for the first time in nearly a year he looked into the eyes of his former master.

"So nice of you to join us" said the soft voice he knew so well from his past. Sage stared into Lord Danaks eyes, he would not show fear to this monster anymore. He would show him he was not afraid. For his pains Lord Danak back handed him again. Defiant Sage looked into his eyes.  
He watched Lord Danak take a breath to calm himself, he would not let this pet get the better of him. He circled again, he wanted badly to break him, but not here, not now. If he lingered here too long, the men from the keep would realise he had Malgita, but a little pain to remind the slave who was master would not take to long.

Sage knew what Lord Danak had in mind. But he had his own plans ones that would result in the demise of Lord Danak, killing him would be tricky but he would find a way.

"Clever sending out that one call. I am surprised it still worked after this time" He said watching Lord Danak.

"I mean, making me want to be in the forest when I knew it was not safe. I did not think you could be so subtle" he said his genle lilt taunting, he had the satisfaction of seeing Lord Danak stiffen in anger. "Still not having me for a long time would make you slower old man" he went on.

"SILENCE!" Lord Danak commanded, his face going an interesting shade of red with anger. He stepped forward again and hit Sage repeatedly as hard as he could, over his face and arms, blacking one eye and making his left arm scream with pain.

Pain, lovely, wonderful, powerful pain, though Sage, he needed more pain though if he was to do this he needed more pain. He kept on taunting make Lord Danak hurt him. Then suddenly Sage started to laugh, making Lord Danak stop in surprise that was not a reaction he had expected. He stepped back again and looked at his laughing slave.  
Sage spat out a mouthful of blood onto the plush floor of the carpeted tent.

:Darian I am here in Danaks camp. I am fine, but I do not think that Danak and his men will be for much longer: he mind spoke to Darian as careful as he could. He did not want Danak to over hear this. Sage had waited until now to inform them because this was a plan to get him here to this place, close to Danak without the others to stop him from what he planned to do.

Darian and the others were walking through the forest their plan was set and now in motion, they would get their friend back no matter the costs to Danak. All was going to plan, Darian, Firesong and Starfall were going to provide mage power incase Sage would not be able to help or in the worst case, Lord Danak had been able to undo all their tenative work with Sage, thus making him usless to them and a power point for Danak. Wintersky and Daystorm were tracking and surprisingly Silverfox had asked to be included. He looked strange dressed in borrowed scouting clothes, strange yet he wore them like he had been wearing them for years. Suddenly Darian stopped a strange look crossed his face, he looked as though he had been stunned. The others stopped round him looking. Darian blinked and looked round the others with a pale face.

"Sage, he is in Danaks camp, he said he is fine, but I think he is going to do something rash." The colour came back into his face slowly. He looked up the trail again "We better hurry I think he may do something he will regret" with that he set off running up the path again, the others close behind. Keeping half an eye out for the other Shadows.

Sage had planned this for a long time, one wrong move and everything would fall apart. He would fail and Danak would have him. He knew he would be broken again, there would be no escape for him. Ignoring Lord Danak, he focused on the others in the camp.

Apart from the six guards, there were two male servants a couple of maids and the messenger. Sage concentrated on the latter five, using the power taken from the pain he showed them images of a great monster in the camp rampaging through apparently killing all in its path. The two male servants were going to attempt fighting it, but Sage pressed fear on them and the need to run. Which they did willingly, the futher they ran the less the fear took them.

The two maids and the messanger had fled screaming at the first sight of the beast, past the bewildered guards who could see nothing wrong. With a satisfied smile Sage watched them run.

Making sure they had gone and only the Guards and Danak remained he slowly put a sheild around the whole camp keeping them all in. He knew the guards on sentry could see the silverly light surrounding them.  
Soon there was the sounds of running feet outside the tent and shouting. Sage sealed the shield and then focused on what was happening in the tent. He hung from the ropes, the pain in his arm came back to remind him and his right eye was swelling shut. He watched as a frantic guard ran into the tent.

"My lord the servants have fled, we tried to stop them but they ran and now something has happened and we can't step past the boundries we are stuck here to we are trapped here" The guard said to Lord Danak after bobbing a hasty bow. Lord Danak turned from the guard to Sage.

"what did you do?" he demanded. His handsome face twisting into a scowl. It had to be the slave, he had done something.

"Me, nothing, we both know you never let me do anything other then pain and death magic." Sage said taunting again. "I can only hurt people with my magic, you know that." Something in his eyes made Lord Danak step back. Seeing that Sage risked lowering his shields on his mind a little, he could now impress more fear onto Lord Danaks mind. give him a taste of the emotions he so enjoyed inspiring in others.

Sage turned his attention to the ropes holding them, he concentrated for a moment then suddenly they burst into flames shinging Sages arms, but he didn't care. Soon the ropes fell away and Sage dropped to the floor. He held his injured left arm close to his chest. The guard had fled the tent but Sage paid him little heed, he couldn't get far anyway. Danak didn't know what to do. His Malgita had never defied him this way before, one thing held certain though, his slave couldn't kill him.

"Finally found a backbone have you?. Tired of people walking all over you? But then you always did seem to enjoy it after a while" Danak taunted Sage now. Rage flared in Sages eyes, he would kill this scum.

He would hurt him rip him limb from limb. But first those guards.  
Gathering the power from his pain, he lashed out at Danek, knocking the man off his feet. He hit a chair and fell over unconcious. Happy he would not be able to disrupt him for a while Sage kicked him a few times for revenge and went outside, the voices in his head, the lost souls could feel something happening, His hold on them was slipping. Quickly they roared aloud their voices shouting for revenge. Sage fell to his knees for moment holding his head.  
"No not yet, not now, the time is not right" he pleaded with them and miraculously they faded slightly clamouring that he only had a short time, they would be free.

Climbing to his feet Sage hurried on outside, soon he was faced with the six guards, all of them drew their swords, Sage simply stood and smiled at them. He could feel the magic coursing through him, as it used to in the old days, when he used to create pain in others. On his out stretched hand a ball of ice formed. He threw it at the two closest gaurds as the ice hit them they froze. Unable to move.

That left four. With a well timed kick he knocked one of swords from the younger of the four guards. He was obviously the newest. Sage caught the sword as it flew up into the air and quick as a flash he thrust it into the young guards leg, taking him out of the fight. He did not want to kill any of them, he really didn't. he ducked under the blows of the other three, catching one behind the ear, knocking him out.

That left two, using his empathy he impressed on them hopelessness of the fight, and they should give up. Presently they did so, confusion on their faces as they dropped the blades from there hands. Sage threw another ball of ice at the last two freezing them in place. Then before he turned his mind to Lord Danak, he froze the other guards, the one of the floor he had kicked and the other one lying knocked out close to him. He did not want the added problem of them waking up or doing something to ruin his plan.

As he turned one last time to check all the guards were out, a rumbling shout from inside the smouldering tent made him turn back again. Lord Danak stumbled out of the tent coughing, his fine clothes covered in soot and ash.

"You will pay for this" he threatened. His words died on his lips as he saw his guards were all unable to help him, it was just him and Sage. He paled visibly but then rallied himself. He looked over Sages shoulder.

"We both know you can't kill me" he said. Sage was aware of people behind him, but he knew they could only be his friends. He would not lose focus now, not when he was so close.

"But there are worse things than death" he said slowly" his pupils were dilating so his eyes looked black.

"Really! What can you do to me, you made me immortal, the spell that gives me my long life is tied to you, or did you forget"  
Sage glanced down for a moment and then up into Lord Danaks eyes. No damn him he would not let Danak get the upper hand, he knew that he had been forced to give this monster near immortality. "Sage don't listen to him!" Darian shouted from the other side of the shields. He had tried to pass the shields but he couldn't, it was clear that Sage wanted them outside. They could see the frozen guards and the other mages could see the magic in the air. Magic, Firesong thought, that Sage said he would never use again.

Sage turned to look at them, his eyes still black. "I am not going to do anything rash, fear not, but I am going to end this"

He looked at the others one last time and then turned his back on them.  
He twisted the hilt of the sword he held and a smaller dagger popped out. Sage advanced on Danak and before Danak knew what Sage was doing, he was thrown against a tree knocking the wind out of him. Perfect he was down, Sage advanced on him speaking quietly.

"I know how I can kill you, I have had much time to think about it,  
and now I know" He held the dagger high above, ignoring the ache in his arm as he held Danak still. Danak knew somehow that this was really happening and Malgita meant this, he meant to kill him. The fear in his eyes was real. He did not know that Sage was feeding this fear back to him. Then without much ceremony Sage plunged the dagger into Lord Danaks heart.

Lord Danak felt the pressure of the knife going in, surprisingly no pain, he thought to himself. He could feel the knife but that was all, and then after a few long moments the pain followed racing through his chest, it was agony.

"Sage no!" Silverfox shouted throwing himself at the shields and bouncing off. "No!" But Sage either didn't hear him or listen. Sage pulled the dagger from Lord Danak, who could feel his life ebbing but not going, he was tied to Sage life. A fail safe he had made his slave set up just incase he ever tried anything like this. As he lay on the floor bleeding out, he laughed at Sage.

"You fool. I can't die for you can't die, you tied my life to yours"  
Danak said loudly enough for the Hawkbrothers outside the shield to hear. Sage didn't turn round. They knew what he had done, he had told them long ago, soon after he had told them the truth about himself. One less weapon Danak could use against him. Not that he would tell Danak that. Also he didn't want to see them, he had to disconnect himself from them.

Sage looked at the dagger and then Lord Danak. "I know that" he said softly a deadly glint in his eyes, he knelt down and gripped Lord Danaks hand tightly. He raised the dagger in his other hand.

"I can't kill you, that I know, but I can do something so much worse.  
The pain you made me suffer all these years now gives me power, the power to stop you. All those souls you killed over the years, all the death magic will be your end. The souls never passed, they stayed in me wanting revenge" Sage told the shocked Danak. He had never thought that the dead could come back to hurt him. He had just thought, he took the magic and that was that.

"I learnt many things while I was here, one of them was to aid the passing of the dying, and now I will aid their passing and your death."

And with that he dropped all his mental shields in one go and stabbed himself through the heart. The pain was incredible like nothing he had ever felt, Sage kept a tight hold on Danak.

"I can't kill you, but they can" were the last words he managed before he slumped over Danak, the dagger still in his chest.

Silverfox could see Sage pull the dagger from Lord Danak, and then he listened to what Lord Danak said, he had thought for a moment, then he realised what Sage meant to do. He started to call out but was too late. He watched in horror with the others as Sage plunged the dagger into his chest, Silverfox tried to pass the shields but could not.

They still held. Darian and Starfall were trying to break the shields but were having little luck. All they could do was watch helplessly.  
Sage felt the souls in him pour out, now the link was open and his shields down he could hear them again, like he had done years ago, but this time he knew what to do. He pointed them at Danak, wordlessly telling them he was the one they wanted. Joyfully they left Sages mind and entered Danaks, he had no protection, no real shields to stop them.  
Hundreds of them all clamouring for him to listen, to torment him,  
with what he had done to them. Sage could hear Lord Danak screaming with the pain of what they were doing to him. Sage was aware of his own soundless cry as they left him in peace. But before They could do to much Sage showed them the way to which they needed to go to pass on. They resisted but Sage pushed them, and Danak along. Until they stood in a white light, all the images of the souls, Danak and Sage.

"Why did you stop us?" The voices demanded. "You promised us revenge." "Peace" Sage told them. "If you want revenge on him, he must die, for him to die, I must die."

"You can't die, you are deathless" they said.

Sage nodded to them, "I know, but one person can grant that" he pointed and walking towards them was the Shadow lover, Death himself. He he neared them Sage kneeled, he could not look at the diety.

Death looked at the massed souls round him and Lord Danak who was still held in their thrall. "You bring me many, yet unwilling souls Channel" Death's eyes fell on Lord Danak. "And one who should have come years ago."

"We want revenge, we will not pass with out having it" The voices cried as one.

Death turned a to look at them all, no humour in his eyes. "You presume to tell Death, who he can not take in his own realm"  
The voices stayed quiet at that, they knew Death could take them now if he so chose to. But Death turned from them. "You called Channel, I came what do you ask of me?"

Sage bowed his head, "My lord, I ask you to kill me, take my life so that this one may die" he said pointing to Danak. "I was forced to bind his life to mine. Make me mortal and kill me" Sage forced himself not to think about Radva and the others, he had to do this.

Death put his head on one side. "I can not grant that, I have not the power. But I know of one who may" Death looked past Sage as if thinking of something. Soon a brighter somehow whiter light came around them, Sage glanced up, standing next to the Shadow Lord was a lady of unsurpassed beauty. It could only be the Star Eyed, the Goddess of the Hawkbrothers. Sage could see why they would swear to her. Her eyes were amazing, they drew your own to them Sage thought. They were fully black, no whites at all and they were filled with stars. You could fall into those eyes, they were endless like the night sky. He could look into those eyes, at that face forever.

"You called little brother?"

"The Channel has a request, one that I can not grant yet, talk with him, I must see to the souls that need passing" with that Death turned back to the souls. Talking to them, he would pass them on whatever else happened they would go on.

"What is it you ask of me Sage?" How she knew his name Sage would not ask, she knew all, of that he had no doubt.

"My Lady, I ask that you make me mortal so I may die. I have suffered a death wound, I did it so he would die" Sage nodded towards Danak who was still being held unable to move or speak.

"If you know of me, and my life, then you will know of what he has done and what I did under his orders. As I told The Lord of Shadows,  
he can not die, unless I do. He should have passed years ago, but did not because of me. I want to right the wrong I have done, what he has done"

Sage looked at the floor, he could not bring himself to look at Her.  
Altough he could not see her, she seemed to be thinking about something, after a long moment, she spoke again.

"If I grant what you ask, would you willingly sacrifice all you have known this past year, your friends that have helped you overcome your torment? Your bond bird, you would willingly give all that up to be rid of one man"  
Sage nodded, unable to speak with tears in his eyes and a lump in his throat.

The Lady reached out and touched his forhead making him look up into Her eyes. He found himself unable to move, speak anything she searched his eyes, his mind, looking for answers he did not know he knew. He was aware of Death passing on the souls behind Her and then coming to join Her. Suddenly she broke the contact, leaving Sage feeling somehow empty. She looked at Death and shared some private conversation. Then

She spoke.  
"No, I will not let you die. However, I can grant you request of making you mortal. You have lived a life of pain and unhapiness. You willingly offer your life to be rid of a monster even if that means you will leave behind all you love."

She paused for a moment and looked to Death before nodding. Suddenly Sage felt himself being thrown out of their realm. And a feeling of calm and peace came over him.

Outside the shields the Hawkbrothers were still watching, not aware of the exchange that had taken place, to them mere minutes had passed,  
when all of a sudden the space within the shields glowed with a brillant golden white light. When some of the light faded they could see a women standing next to Sage and Danak.

"Blessed Lady" Breathed Firesong they watched what was happening.  
The Goddess, knelt and pulled the dagger from Sage's chest, and rolled him onto his back. With a quick move she placed her hands, over the wound, her white light flowing into him. Then she stopped. To the amazment of the Hawkbrothers, she kissed Sage, breathing her white light into his mouth, his chest rose and then fell.

She stood and turned to look at the watchers, frowning she raised her hand and the shield round them fell away.

"He is one of you now, he gave all to be free. Care for him well, he has a job to do before he meets me again" She spoke to them, her voice sounding wonderful yet terrible at the same time, and before anyone could question what She meant, Her light flared and then faded, She was gone. A loud Cawing broke the quiet and Radva flew past them all to land on Sages chest.

:Sage lives: Radva told Darian. passing on the good news. Not quite able to believe this they hurried forward. They had all seen Sage stab himself, no-one could live through that,  
but then Sage was not human. With a hundred questions they went to Sage.

Sage slowly became aware of a weight on his chest, he opened one eye and then the other, cracking a smile when he saw Radva sitting on his chest, peering at him.

:Sage you sleep?" Asked Radva. :Wake up sleepy: He said sitting on Sages chest.

:No little brother not anymore, I am awake: he told the Raven sitting up and gently moving the bird to his lap so he could look at him. The movement made his chest hurt. He ripped open his shirt to look at his chest. Over his heart, he had a vivid red scar. Sage smiled and stroked Radva for a happy moment. Then he remembered his friends, he looked round to see them advancing on him, worry and happiness on their faces.

"Sage what happened?"

"What did She mean?"

"Is Lord Danak dead?"

The questions came at him from all sides. Laughing he held up his hands, "Yes, he is dead, as for the rest can we get home first then I will tell you all I can remember. I ache all over"

It was true, although the Goddess had healed the death wound she had not healed the hurts he had taken when Lord Danak had beaten him.  
Holding out a hand to Darian to help him up Sage climbed to his feet,  
he was about to walk away with the others when he realised the tent was still smoldering. With out a thought he waved his hand and the sparks died. He looked to the still frozen guards.

"When someone from the keep comes for them I will let them go. Until I can talk to them, they will be dangerous" He looked to the forest, "And somewhere out there, there is two maids and a couple of servants and the messanger, I made them flee before all this" he looked to the faces of his friends, "They were innocents these were not" and with that he turned and walked away from the camp and Danaks body, with Radva on his arm and the others close behind. He would not answer any questions all the way back to the Vale. The bond birds in the trees took flight and followed them back calling to each other and their bond mates.

Some time later when the Shadows had been taken into the keep and locked away and Sage had had a wash and some clean clothes, he sat down in one of the many clearings. All of his friends within the Vale were crowded in with him, sitting on the grass or whatever seat they could. Bond birds of all kind also sat around the clearing seated on what branches and perches they could find. And squeezed into one side was Kel who was still very annoyed for missing out on a fight. Now Sage was going to tell them all what had happened.

"He got into my head, that is why I went out of the keep. Because I had been talking to Radva and I never noticed" he answered Starfall question as to why he had gone out in the first place. Stroking Radva he went on to tell them what had happened and about using the pain to overcome Danak.

Then he reached the part all wanted to hear

"In a sense I died, you all know that I am..." he paused and smiled for a second before going on. "I was made of magic and I could not die. And that He was tied to me, so in a sense he could not die, he could just grow older and weaker without me." He paused for another second he was rambling he thought, he brought is talk back to the point.

"Well, when I stabbed him and me. I also let the souls free, and well,  
they needed little help in getting free. They went from me to him,  
as they left me. They started to try to kill Danak and well, I helped them pass on, to the Shadow Lovers realm." he looked around at the others meeting their eyes for the first time since he had started talking.

"He had the power to make them pass, and then I asked for the Shadow Lover to do the one thing that would make sure that Lord Danak died"  
he said softly his gaze falling, he had not counted on still being here now to tell his tale, he was worried how his friends would react.

"To make you mortal?" Silverfox asked gently, the question was in everyone's eyes. He had just been the one to ask it.

"Yes to make me mortal and then let me die, I had a death wound. If I die, he would die. But he could not do it, so he called for the Star Eyed. She spoke to me and asked me if I really did want to die.  
When I told her I had to die, it was the only way to be rid of Danak.  
She looked into my mind, she saw the things you can not hide mind to mind. You, Radva and the vale. She granted me the first request, but she would not grant the second. She said that I had been through so much and suffered so long."

"Wait what do you mean, She granted only one request?" Darian asked.

"Are you mortal or not and is Lord Danak really dead?" , he felt there was something more to the story.

Sage smiled happily, "Yes, I am mortal and yes Lord Danak is dead. You see, because I was in the realm of the Shadow Lover, I was not alive or dead, I was in between, so when She made me mortal I was close enough to death for Her to be able to break my spell, and allow Danak to die. Then she came back here to where my body was and healed me" he said still smiling. He stroked Radva who was sitting on shoulder preening his hair.

The clearing was quiet for a long time as they thought about what he said. Sage stroked Radva he looked down at the floor, he knew he shouldn't have told them that part about being willing to die. He had upset them now. He risked a glance and saw their faces looked thoughtful, not angry as he had expected. They seemed to be taking in what he had said, thinking about it. He risked a gentle probe with his empathy, he could feel something, not the anger but instead something else, what he wasn't sure.

"You mean, you were willing to die, and leave behind all you had wanted for so long, just to be rid of one man?" Starfall asked wonder in his voice.

Sage nodded and looked up through his hair. "I do not think you will ever understand, to me he was more then just one man. I can tell you and I can show you what he did, but you can never be there and to live through it like I did. It was my fault he stayed alive, my fault so many died. And well, I had to do something to right the wrong and that was the only way" he shrugged. "He was evil through and through"

"So, you are mortal! Does that mean that you will die like the rest of use, illness and injury and the like?" Firesong asked from his seat next to Silverfox.

Sage nodded, I am mortal. She set me ageing. Now I am eighteen. The age that my Father made me to be. I will age as you do and one day I will die. Either through injury, illness or natural causes." Sage smiled again, "To live will be the biggest adventure of all."

: Sage you will be with me, you not leave me again for a long time: Radva asked in a quiet moment. Sage had not told the others but Radva had felt those few awful seconds when he nearly died.

:No, I am alive and I will stay for as long as am meant to: Sage replied. Now he was human the bond with Radva had somehow changed somehow become something more filling. It had filled the emptiness in him and he supposed he felt love now, he loved Radva and his friends.  
Love was something he had not experienced often, he had never let himself love if he could help it. The people he knew and had wanted to care about, all grew old and died, or got killed. He was thinking he could grow to like this feeling.

"So if you are now alive, what will happen to the people of the Islands, Lord Danaks people.? Will his successor not send more people to find you?"

Sage shook his head, "No they should not send more people not for me.  
By now his rule should have ended. I am guessing it ended two weeks after he left. And now whoever has had the guts will be ruler." Sage thought for a moment.  
"Lord Rusking, I should think. He is a nice enough man and with all the trained Shadows here, only the ones in training will be there and he won't send them for me. You see only six Shadows are trained at one time, it was to stop them from rising up and overthrowing their leader" he explained and then paused for a second, so make sure that they all understood what he meant.  
"He will be happy if I never go back and that is something I never intend to do" Sage told them. But, He looked to Kel who had been sitting quietly all this time.

"If they do come I will let you chase them Kel" he said with a grin. The Gryhpon expression could have defiantly been called a grin.

"I should hope so" the Gryhpon said. Flexing his wings.

"Did anybody find the maids or servants or the messanger? would hate them to be hurt or lost, they had no choice in being here" Sage asked remembering them.

"No we have heard nothing of them yet but it is early yet, they may turn up" Darian told him.

Soon after the group asked Sage many questions, then slowly as day wore on into night Sage begged tiredness and left them. In truth he was tired but more than that he wanted to be alone for a while, he had been with people all day in one way or another. He was still buzzing in fact. Leaving them behind, he walked slowly up the paths. He paused at the door of his ekele, but changed his mind. No, he did not want to be inside. He kept on walking until he reached the ledge on the cliffs. The one that looked out above the lake, here would be fine. Radva walked down his arm and Sage threw him into the air so he could climb down.

:Play, flock, food: asked Radva

:Yes you go. Have fun and leave the song birds alone please: Sage said and as he got comfortable he watched Radva fly away. The crow, didn't answer.  
It was getting dark again. Sage sat back against the cliff, his mind was buzzing with what had happened to day, not to mention he was aching all over.  
He had his Humanity, the very thing that Urtho had wanted for him, but couldn't give him. Now here he was, human with all its downfalls and advantages. He would die one day, not that it was something that worried him. He had seen everything in life, but in death he could see the people who had meant something, he would see Urtho again. As he sat there thinking a thought struck him, he would have to learn what magics he could and could not do. Being human would mean he would not have access to the power he had before, he would have to be careful now. Sage looked up to the star lit sky, clouds coasted across the stars making blank spaces of black. Gradually he drifted into a sleep leaning on the rock behind him.

Tomorrow with the dawn would be the start of something more then a new day, it would be the start of a new life, a new beginning.

THE END 


End file.
